Beyond Destiny
by Reika Lee
Summary: As a High School student, Tidus is just an ordinary newcomer until eventually, he saves a certain brown-haired girl from a near-death experience. Since then, everything around him had more meaning until someone named Seymour came....
1. Zanarkand High

**Chapter One: _Zanarkand High_**

   A city…like every typical city, there are several high school buildings standing within it. The three largest and most progressive of these schools are Luca University, Academy of Bevelle and of course, Zanarkand High. Now, our story pivots around Zanarkand High, found at the edge of this bustling metropolis, close to the seaside.

   Inside Zanarkand High…hundreds of students are walking down the corridors carrying piles of books, term papers and shoulder bags. Among these students, there was a rather confused one---a young 17 year-old teenager with blonde hair and indigo eyes wearing a dark-blue jacket with a yellow shirt underneath it, shaded white cargo pants, his trademark yellow and black high-cut sneakers and an accessory hanging around his neck shaped like a "T" but more eye-catching and more artistically designed.

   "Ummm, s'cuse me but, do you know how can I get to room 22?" he asked, tapping the shoulder of a male student standing by a locker but the he just walked away without even answering the lost guy.

   "Ah, man! This is gonna be way tougher than I thought!" He said, sounding wound up. "Feels like this school itself is a maze. One minute, I'm inside it. The next minute, I'm totally lost!"

   Room 22 is the Biology room, where he's supposed to attend his first classes on his first day at Zanarkand High.  Promising himself that he would find it, he took a deep breath and started searching for the Biology room.

   "Hey! You guys have heard about the new guy, ya?" Asked a youth of 18 to his gang of friends seated beside him, "Heard he's from out of town. Can't wait to see his face!" He added.

   Now this student has crimson hair with the front part of it standing like anti-gravity. He was sporting a green shirt with three thin black stripes in the middle, light-brown cargo pants, dark leather shoes and a fish necklace hanging from his neck.

   They were inside the Biology room ignoring the professor's lecture and secretly chatting from behind the chairs.

   "Think he plays Blitzball, Wakka?" asked one of his friends.

   "Let's hope he does, Datto. We really need extra members on our team." He replied with a hint of hope in his tone.

   As they were chatting, Wakka felt something small hit his head.

   "Wakka," Professor Reno said, "If you're not interested in meeting your new classmate then you're free to leave the classroom. But if you still insist, I would be happy to throw a chalk at you again." He sarcastically remarked.  

   "Finally! Found it!" the door to the Biology room is now right in front of him. On top of the door frame, there's a sign that say's "22". As he opened it…

   "…Class, allow me to introduce your new classmate".

   All the students stood on their feet, some even on tip-toe just to catch a glimpse of the newcomer's face.

   "Whoa, so he's the new kid…" Wakka whispered to his seatmate, Botta. "Wonder if he's fit for Blitz?"

   The new guy walked awkwardly beside the teacher's desk, feeling uneasy with all eyes on him. 

   "Uh…hi! …..Howdy!" he greeted his new classmates. 

   Almost all of them stared and a few smiled. Some of the girls were putting their mouths behind their hands whispering to one another.

   "Class, take your seats." Professor Reno told the gawking group of students. "Okay now, introduce yourself." He told the newcomer.

   "Okay." He cleared his throat and started to speak.

   "Hi! My name's Tidus and I'm uhhh---from Okinawa! You see, I'm uhhh---new to this place so maybe I can say that getting lost is pretty easy to me. Well, I just did a while ago! Hehehe!" He added with a chuckle after seeing the puzzled looks on his classmates' faces.

   Professor Reno sat back down on his desk. "Well Tidus, now that we have an idea of yourself, why don't you take you're seat? You may sit beside Wakka."

   Tidus examined his classmates' faces with a raised eye brow. "Uhh, who's he?"

   "The one with the standing hairdo." Professor said, sounding slightly irritated while pointing his finger to the empty chair beside Wakka.

   "Oh! Ha-ha, guess he was easy to spot after al! Thanks anyway!"

   He got his backpack and walked to his assigned seat. He took out a notebook and a pen as Professor started to jot down notes on the board. Strangely, Tidus found that he was enjoying himself, listening to all of Professor Reno's lectures.

   "I guess Zanarkand High's not so bad after all…" His mind gladly said.

   The bell signaling break time echoed through the hallways. Students went out of their classrooms to grab a snack at the cafeteria or do extra research in the library. As Tidus stepped out of the classroom, he stretched his arms and legs to free his body from the stiffness of note-taking and headed for his locker to get ready for his Math classes. As he was opening his locker, someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see who tapped him only to see that it was…

   "Hey man! Good to see you!" Wakka said with a warm smile. He spoke with an outmoded accent which sounded quite new to Tidus.

   "Oh, you're Wakka, right? Nice to meetcha too. Name's Tidus!" He replied, extending his right hand.

   Wakka shook it. "Yeah, I already know that. So, how do you find Zanarkand and what do you think of it?"

   "Weeelll," Tidus said, looking for the right words, "I gotta admit, I'm starting to like it here!"

   "Surely you'll like everything here! 'Cept of course, you won't wanna mess with the new Math teacher. Heard he can get pretty nasty when you light his fuse. Sounds scary to me, ya?" Wakka warned Tidus.

   The two boys began to chat and got along pretty well. As they were chewing the fat, Wakka asked Tidus a very interesting question…

   "Hey. You play Blitzball, ya?" Wakka asked, hoping for a nice answer. To his kick, Tidus answered:

   "Of course I do!!! Heck, I was even the star player back in Okinawa!!!" He declared, gleaming with pride.

   Wakka stepped back, hit with surprise. "Get ooouuut! Then, JOIN OUR TEAM!!! You be the midfielder!

   "Alright! You can count me in!!!"

   After that, he and Wakka did high-fives.

   "Okay then, see you after school. I'll introduce you to our team." He said, giving Tidus a hard pat on the back and left.

   Tidus took out his schedule. "Let's see, so I'm having Math next in Room 56……Aw, man! I should've asked Wakka for directions! Looking for that room's not gonna be a stroll in the park, that's for sure."

   He turned to the direction headed towards the Laboratory and walked on, searching for Room 56. While he was strolling, something gold and shiny caught his eyes. He picked it up and examined it.

   "Huh? A bracelet. Pure gold too. Wonder who could've dropped it?" He put the bracelet in his pocket and walked on. "That was one expensive-looking piece of accessory back their." He said to himself, "Well, looking for the Math classroom's more important than looking for this bracelet's rightful owner."

   As he was walking searching both sides of the hall for room 56, someone tapped him on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a girl, around 16, with blonde hair held in a ponytail and the lower part of her hair tied in braids. She was wearing an orange, sleeveless turtleneck, green cargo shorts and white sneakers, with a white jacket tied around her waist. She also has a pair of goggles hanging around her neck and a digital wristwatch around her right wrist, but the first thing that Tidus noticed about her are her green eyes.

   "Sorry but, have you seen a bracelet lying around here somewhere?" She said in a light voice, "I was just wearing it then the next thing I know, it disappeared like poof!" She added, sounding troubled. 

   "You mean this?" He answered, taking out the gold bracelet out of his pocket.

   "Yeah! That's it!!!" She cried, jumping up and down with cheerfulness, "Where did you find it!? I almost walked the whole school just looking for this!"

   She seized the bracelet and locked it around her wrist.

   "Thanks!" She giggled. "Hey, what's your name?"

   Tidus, who had quite a hard time interrupting the cheerful girl, answered. "Name's Tidus. How 'bout you?"

   "I'm Rikku! Pleased to meetcha!" She replied.

   Tidus thought that Rikku was probably the most carefree person in Zanarkand High. No matter what happens, she always dons a happy smile.

   "So Rikku, where is this Room 56? I'm having Math next, you know? He asked her.

   "I'm having Math next too! Why don't we go there together? I can show you the way!"

   "Okay, why not?" Tidus replied. He was getting quite used to Rikku's happy-go-lucky personality.

   Rikku shot her fist up in the air and skipped ahead of Tidus. He lightly shook his head and followed her.

   As they were walking, Rikku asked Tidus something.

   "Hey, I haven't seen you before. You new to this place?" 

   "Yeah, I'm from Okinawa. Just moved here a week ago. Anyway, I like this place!"

   "Right, if it only wasn't for that new Math teacher! Can you believe it? He gives us three assignments a week! And his lessons are mega-hard as well!"

   Rikku said. She was almost shouting that she caught almost everyone's attention in the corridor.

   "Here we are! Room 56!" Rikku announced.

   Tidus was wondering why Wakka and Rikku were sort of terrified with the new Math teacher. He opened the door to the classroom curious to see who the Math professor is. His curiosity was fed when he found out that the new Math teacher is---

   "AURON!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!!?" Tidus screamed while running to the teacher's desk, smacking his hands on the surface. "You're not supposed to be here, Auron! I mean, you're supposed to be back in Okinawa-----Lemme guess! Dad sent you here, didn't he!?"

   "That's right, Tidus. Jecht sent me here to---"

   "---keep a closer eye on me, I KNOW!!!" Tidus cut short. 

   "Tidus," Rikku whispered. "Will you please calm down? You're embarrassing yourself!" 

   Tidus was stunned. He forgot that several other students were watching him flare-up. His other classmates were looking at him with eyes wide open and jaws dropped. Some others at the back were secretly laughing.

   Auron stood up from his desk and went to the front of the classroom. "Alright, now that you know who you're new Math teacher is, why don't you two take you're seats?" Auron ordered his two other students. 

  Rikku walked to an empty seat near the window and took out a pen and a piece of paper. Tidus sat beside Rikku and also took out a pen and a notebook. Auron stood by the board and started writing down complicated formulas and solutions. Everyone in the classroom was copying down what's on the board but Tidus had his mind on something else.

   "Damn my old man. I'm not a kid anymore! Why does he have to make Auron my babysitter!?" He knocked his desk with his fist. Of course, having Auron live with him in one of the apartments outside the school was an okay thing but him being a teacher in Zanarkand High??? Well, that's waaay beyond imagination!

   "Tidus." Someone called him.

   "Go away!" He replied.

   "Tidus!"

   "I said go away!" 

   "Tidus!!"

   "Leave me alone!" 

   "TIDUS!!!"

   "WHAT!!!?"

   Something stuck unexpectedly appeared in his throat. He was so deep in thought that he forgot it was his Math teacher, Auron, who was calling him.

   "What do you want?" Tidus darkly asked, looking at the floor, trying to avoid everyone's eyes.

   "Okay Tidus, now that I have your attention, I want you to do problem number 12 on the board." 

   Tidus sighed in frustration. He took the chalk from Auron's hand and headed to the board. He stared at the board for seconds, thinking of what to write about. He felt stupid just standing there like an old dummy. Finally, Tidus agreed just to jot down anything depending on his luck. He raised his chalk and scribbled on the board, licking his lips.

   "Sir Auron!" Rikku stood up with her hand raised.

   "Yes, Rikku?" Auron said, strictly looking at her.

   "Ummm…Let me do problem 12 for him!"

   "And can you give me a very good reason for that, Rikku?" Auron asked, which kind of made Rikku stiff.

   "……Well, you see…" Rikku nervously answered "he's new to this place so ummm…uhhh…."

   "Please Rikku, speak as you normally would." Auron said, with a hint of impatience in his voice.

   "Okay! You see…He----He has no idea about all this so let me do it for him! I know this question like all the winning techniques in Blitzball!!!" She boldly answered, sweat sliding down her face. "Please?"

   "Alright Rikku. Tidus, go back to your seat. I'll let you go on your first day but tomorrow, don't expect me to be tolerant with you." Auron told Tidus, making the whole class shudder. 

   After classes, Tidus and Rikku walked out of the room and back to their lockers. 

   "Hey Rikku." Tidus called her.

   "Yeah?" she said, in her usual cheerful self.

   "Thanks…for putting me out of that mess back in Math class. Thought I was gonna look stupid for the whole one hour."

   "Hey, no problem! We're pals, right?" she happily smiled.

   Now that was the first really funny thing he heard from Rikku's mouth. They just met an hour ago and now she's already declaring that they are now friends. But it's not that bad. After all, he's already made two friends---Wakka and her.

   "But why did Sir Auron have to be so strict on you? I mean, we all know he can get scary but why did he have to be so…so mean to you!?" She asked him.

   Tidus took a deep breath but didn't speak at once. It took him quite a while to look for the right words to use then finally, he started to tell Rikku a part of his life story.

   "You see, Auron is my dad's best friend." He began, speaking like he seriously does.

   "Uh-huh," Rikku broke off "So, who's your dad?"

   He paused for a while but still carried on.

   "…..My dad.....His name is Jecht. He was once a hardcore Blitzball player whom everyone looked up on." He continued, his voice which now sounded angry, and yet, cheerless. "I never actually got any praise from him……not once. Always keeps telling me to just give up, saying that I'm out of my league."

   Rikku now had a look of sympathy on her face. She didn't know that Tidus had such a harsh past.

   He went on…"But my dad, he does nothing anyway but get drunk. You know, load up on booze at night then you find him rambling about pointless words next thing in the morning. He slowly lost popularity and now he can't even feed himself. That's why Auron's sort of like my father figure."

   "What about your mom then?" Rikku asked, hoping for a better answer.

   "My mom……." He tried to talk but he couldn't. He couldn't get the words out of his mouth. "She…"

   "Go on. There's no rush." Rikku secured him.

   "My mom was the only person in the world who really loved me….who really cared for me" He said, his voice faint. "She was the one who would comfort me if I was yelled by my old man, but now she…she's gone."

   Tidus finished. He looked away, trying not to let the tears that gathered in his eyes flow out.

   "Tidus, I…..I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I……" Rikku stopped. She felt like crying too.

   "It's alright, Rikku." He said, his voice warm and his face smiling again. It was the first time he saw Rikku not in her cheery self "I just wanted to let it out to somebody. Anyway, let's go meet Wakka at the cafeteria."

   They both grabbed their backpacks and walked to the cafeteria, with Rikku usually prancing ahead. 

   Rikku was humming a tune which sounded like "Suteki Da Ne" but Tidus had his thoughts on something else…

   Here on his day---his fisrt day in Zanarkand High---all the unexpected things happened. Getting lost for the first time while finding the Biology room, making friends with Wakka, joining the Blitzball team, finding Rikku's bracelet then making another friend, realizing that Auron's the new Math teacher and telling Rikku about his painful past. He shook his head. He couldn't believe that everything, all this, happened in just one day…

   Rikku quickly entered the cafeteria. She searched the faces of the other students, looking for Wakka.

   "Hey Tidus!" She called him. "So who is this Wakka guy?" She asked, looking around the cafeteria trying to locate Wakka.

   "Don't worry Rikku, he's easy to find. Just look for a guy sporting an anti-gravity hairstyle!" Tidus answered Rikku with a laugh.

   She ran through the tables to the stand near the windows, where the morning sunlight is pouring in. Wakka, as well as Jassu and some people were sitting there, chatting to one another.

   Rikku also saw that her brother was conversing with Wakka.

   "Oh, sorry I forgot to mention to you, Tidus! My brother's part of the team! He plays as one of the defensives!" Rikku contentedly proclaimed! "This is gonna be mega-great! My brother and my new pal on the same team!"

   "Hey man! Come sit with us!" Wakka gestured Tidus, pointing at the empty chair beside him.

   Tidus placed his backpack beside the chair. Rikku sat beside her brother and took out her Math assignment, and a calculator.

   "Hey Rikku!" Brother scolded his younger sister. "You're not supposed to use calculators in Math! That's cheating!"

   But Rikku ignored Brother and went on swindling. "Aw, don't worry about it, brother! I only do this once in a while! Besides, devoting one's life to Math is not human!"

   Brother sighed and gave up arguing with Rikku. Wakka then introduced his team to Tidus.

   "Okay, that there's Jassu." He said pointing to a light-brown-haired man. He slightly raised his hand. "Hey man, nice to meet you!"

   "Well, blondie over there is Linna. She plays a pretty good defensive." Linna glared at Wakka for calling her "blondie".

   "Our goalkeeper's not here right now so I'm going to introduce the next member. We just call him Brother for no good reason, really." Wakka laughed, patting Brother on his shoulder.

   Tidus smiled at his new teammates. "Wakka, I never knew there's a girl in your team." He said, referring to Linna. "I usually play with only boys. Anyway, I also wanna know how it feels like to have a girl in the team! So, who's the team captain?"

   "You're lookin' at him!" Wakka proudly told Tidus.

   "Whoa! So you're the team captain! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

   "Well, that's just part of our introduction." Wakka then cleared his throat. "Alright boys," 

   "Are you forgetting about me?" Linna interrupted in an insulted tone.

   "And uh, girl!" Wakka nervously added. "Meet Tidus! He's from Okinawa and the team's newest member!"

   "And midfielder!" Rikku put in. "He told me a while ago before Math class!"

   "Yes……!" Tidus said under his breath. He finally has his own bunch of buddies. He now has his own gang of Blitzers that he can train and share winning techniques with. Most of all, he now feels accepted.

   "You guy's wait for me for a minute. I'll just get us something to munch on!"

   Rikku speedily stood up. "I'll go with you!"

   Tidus and Rikku went to the counter and grabbed some trays. Tidus got himself a bowl of noodles and a carton box of orange juice while Rikku asked for cheesecake and apple juice. After taking their picks, they headed back to where his teammates are seated. "So, what's the name of the team" Tidus asked before slurping a mouthful of noodles.

   "Still haven't got one." Wakka answered. "You decide, ya?"

   "Okay then," he clears his throat. "We're gonna be called the ZANARKAND ABES!!!"

   Everyone seemed to like the name. Wakka face brightened, Rikku did high-fives with Brother, Jassu shot his hand in the air and Linna just held a fist.  

   "Hey, Zanarkand Abes! Sounds pretty good to me! Hmmm…Zanarkand Abes…Zanarkand Abes…" 

   "Yeah! Zanarkand Abes rock!" Rikku spoke out. She seemed to be greatly affected by the name. 

    Wakka stood up in front of the Abes. "Well then, it's decided! We're now the Zanarkand Abes!!!"

   "YEAH!!!" They all got to their feet and shouted together putting their hands on top of each other's. Even Rikku joined in the fun.

   After all was decided, they all sat back down and talked about when practice will be.

   "Alright boys, practice will be tomorrow afternoon at the stadium behind the school! Be there at five o'clock. I'll be telling you all about the new technique. Dismissed!" Wakka told his teammates. After they all left, he turned to Tidus and put his arm around his shoulders.

   "Let's see the winning technique that Rikku said you can pull off!"

   Tidus blissfully nodded.

   "So, what's your next class? Mine's Geography!" Rikku exclaimed as she and Tidus walked out of the cafeteria.

   He took out his schedule. His next subject would be…

   "English." He answered in confidence.

   Rikku was glad Tidus was his normal self again, not the sad side. It's already in her nature that she doesn't want to see her close pals sad or gloomy. She'll do anything to cheer them up. She would give anything just for his past to be erased.

   "Well, I'm glad you've cheered yourself up now. You were really depressed when you were telling me about your dad---"

   Rikku was cut short.

   "Shut up about it." Tidus warned her. He wasn't shouting but Rikku could sense he was angered.

   Rikku froze. She unconsciously made him mad while she's supposed to be cheering him up.

   "I-I'm sorry…I-I shouldn't have---"

   "Never mind that, let's go." Tidus walked on, pulling her arm. He didn't want to talk about it right now. It's too painful. He also didn't want to to shout hurtful words at Rikku but he was unable to control himself. He just tried to forget about it and moved on. 

   "Go on ahead to Geography." Tidus told her. He released her arm.

   Rikku stopped. "But what if you get lost again?" she asked him, pretending to be cheerful. But no matter how hard she tried, she still sounded hurt and offended.

   Tidus turned to look at her. "It's okay. Wakka told me the directions earlier, and….I'm sorry I said those to you…"

   Without a word, he turned and ran down the hallway leaving Rikku shouting "Wait! Come back!" 

   He ran on, not looking at where he's going. He just wanted to find the classroom and get on with it. He didn't keep his eyes on the road that he unintentionally bumped into someone, knocking her off her feet and making her books scatter around.

   "I'm sorry! It was my fault! I wasn't watching where I was going! I-----"

   He suddenly stopped. He actually bumped into a girl---a girl, about his age, with short, brown hair with a blue left eye and the right one, green. She was wearing a white, sleeveless shirt with a pink sweater over it, long denim skirt with slits, black boots that are above the ankle, and a necklace with a pearl hanging from it. What's noticeable about her is her long, blue earring which made a tinkling sound with every move. She bent down and picked her books up.

   "No, let me do it." He told her. "It was my fault." 

   He helped her gather her books and assignments from near the lockers to the foot of the door to the laboratory. There was only one book left. 

   They both reached out for it. As they laid a hand on the book, they unconsciously touched each other's finger. Tidus immediately withdrew his hand and felt himself blush. The brown-haired girl did the same.

   "I'm sorry." He said as he picked the book up and handed it to her. He tried not to stare at her face. 

   "Ah, man! She's pretty. And cute too." His mind said to himself. He just stood there as his feet were rooted on the spot.

   The girl stood up and wrapped the books around her arms and tidied her hair up.

   "Um…thank you." She said, looking at his eyes in a soft, small voice. "I-I must be going now…I'm almost late for Geography." She then ran off to the other direction. Tidus tried to call her but somehow, he couldn't get the words out of his mouth.

   "Rats! I didn't even get her name!"

   Tidus made his way to the English classroom. As he strolled, he kept thinking about the brown-haired girl with mismatched eyes.

   "Well, she did mention something about being late for Geography. Maybe I can ask Rikku about her after classes. Speaking of lateness…"

   He looked at his watch….

    "DAMMIT!!! I'M LATE!!!"

   He zoomed like a bullet through the corridor. He hurriedly glanced at the room numbers, looking for the English classroom. He dashed faster until he finally spotted it ten feet away. He braked in front of the door and opened it.

   "Tidus, you're ten minutes late. And why do you look so exhausted?"

   "I…..I….I got lost…" Tidus answered in-between breaths.

   "Okay, now that you're here, please take your seat. My name is Ms. Elena and I will be your teacher in English this year. You may take your seat there near the bulletin board. I'll be away for a while to get more chalk so class…"

   All the students turned their heads to look at her.

   "…Please behave yourselves." She added before leaving the classroom.

   Ms. Elena is a teacher who had a solemn face and semi-long blonde hair.

   Just a few seconds after Ms. Elena left, the class still remained quiet although Tidus expected them burst into loud conversations any moment now. He just went on and headed for his seat. Just when he was almost there---

   "Whoa!!!"

   ---someone stick his leg out and deliberately tripped him, making him land on his chest with much force. His backpack flew and hit the wall, making his books and pens spread out. The whole class started laughing at him. Some were even calling him names like "loser" and "jackass". All were laughing except one.

   A boy with long, deformed bluish hair sticking out at odd angles stood up and grabbed Tidus's collar, lifting him until his eyes were at the same level as his. Tidus was already standing on tip-toe for the malicious boy was a few inches taller than him.

   "So, you're the new kid." He nastily said, eyeing Tidus from his spiky blonde hair to his yellow and black sneakers.

   "So you're that idiot who tripped me…" He angrily countered, his fists closed. "What about it then…!?"

   The blue-haired boy's grip around Tidus's collar tightened. "One of my lackeys found you with my girlfriend."

   Tidus was taken aback. "Wh-Who are you talking about!? I didn't go out with some girl!" 

   The boy then dragged Tidus near the wall and forcefully thrust him to it.

   "Argh!"

   "One more time I see you with my girl, I'll personally make sure that you'll pay full price." His voice was faint but murderous. He let go of Tidus's collar and angrily strode back to his seat.

   Tidus rubbed his back then bent down to gather his scattered books and pens. The whole class continued laughing at him. He just lowered his head down and tried not to listen to his classmates' cruel insults. 

   "Damn that guy…" He furiously said to himself. "Who does he think he is…!? 

   He went on fixing his things until a girl, who seemed to be a few months younger than Wakka approached him and helped him pick his things up. She had long, black, braided hair and red eyes. She was dressed in a brown, long-sleeved top with a gray poncho over it and a long, black skirt. She was also wearing boots but this time, they are brown.

   "Here, let me help you." She kindly told him. "Just ignore that conceited jerk." She helped Tidus clean up the mess. After they were all back in his backpack, they walked to two vacant chairs and sat down.

   "Thanks" was all Tidus could mutter as he laid his head on his desk. 

   "Don't mind it. Seymour's like that all the time," She told him while she was pulling out a thick book out of her bag.

   Tidus got up. "You mean, that idiot's name is Seymour!?  Why does he have to act like that? As if he owns the place!?" he grumbled while trying to repair his pen that leaked.

   "That's because he's the school heartthrob." She informed him.

   "What!? That stuck-up jackass!? I can't see why he fits that description in the first place. I just hope she's not one of those lovesick girls who are crazy about him."

   "Who?" she wonderingly asked.

   "Oh, I mean, Rikku, my friend. She's in Geography right now." But Tidus was really referring to the brown-haired girl. "Oh yeah, didn't catch your name. Mine's Tidus. What's yours?"

   She stretched out her hand. "Lulu." and Tidus shook it.

   Lulu somehow helped Tidus get his mind off Seymour for a moment now. Tidus also learned that she was also a good friend of Rikku's. That was some nice coincidence. Right now, he couldn't decide whether this day was turning good or the other way around. He already made three friends-Wakka, Rikku and Lulu-and an arch enemy---Seymour. And he was still clueless about who that girlfriend Seymour was talking about.

   The door opened and Ms. Elena entered the classroom holding a bundle of chalk in her hand.

   "Okay class, let us begin…"

   English was an okay subject. At least, it was no sweat compared to Auron's grueling board activities.

   "Again, don't let Seymour get to you. Just ignore him when he's around." Lulu advised him as they were walking to their lockers to get ready for their next class.

   "Hey! Tidus! Lulu! Over here!!!"

   Tidus and Lulu both turned to where that familiar voice came from. It was Rikku. She was running to them with Wakka closely behind her. She reached them and waved at Lulu. Wakka had his hands on his knees and panted.

   "Rikku, can't you ever slow down?" Wakka desperately asked Rikku. "You run too fast." 

   She hopped on the same spot excited to tell them about the good news.

   "Guess what!?" she exclaimed eagerly, "Blitzball meeting's this afternoon at the coffee shop! Not only that, we're gonna have a match with the Goers from Luca University three months from now so practice is gonna be thrice a week from this day forward!" she finished her sentence. She was so thrilled that she won't stop skipping around. "Say Tidus! I had no idea you already met Lulu! Then, you should know that she's soooo smart!" She spoke fast, just like what she usually does when she talks. "Heck, she was the only one in the whole school who got a 99% in the Math finals last year!"

   Tidus whistled in surprise. Lulu bent her head down and slowly shook it, her hand on her forehead. Wakka gave her a strong pat on the back which slightly pushed her forward. "Way to go, Lu!"

   But that wasn't the end of Rikku's story yet…

   "We were already enjoying a happy ending until that Seymour meanie stormed in and declared that he got a 100%!!!"

   "WHAT!!!? THAT JERK!!!?" Tidus roared. He was so furious from only hearing his name. He became even more furious knowing that of all people who can get a 100% and in Math, of all subjects, it had to be Seymour.

   Wakka put his arm around Tidus's shoulders, trying to cool him down. Lulu simply remained silent and kept a stern face.

   There was now an upset look on Rikku's face as she looked up the ceiling. "That Seymour's got everything a girl wants---handsome, gets straight A's, rich, loaded with lots of moolah, everything! That's why I don't hang around with many girls except Lulu. We both dis that guy!"

   Tidus was pleased to hear that. Even Rikku despises Seymour but, does that brown-haired girl do too? 

   "But look at the brighter side, Tidus! At least you can do something that Seymour can't do." She added but this time, with a grin.

   Tidus looked puzzled. "And, exactly, what's that...?"

   "BLITZBALL!!! You're a star Blitzball player!!!" she happily exclaimed. "We all have a weak spot and if Seymour has at least one, then that'll be Blitzball!!! 

   Tidus paused then slowly…he grinned. "Yeah…you're right! That jerk can't even play Blitzball!"

   That moment he was happy until…he didn't find himself grinning anymore. He suddenly remembered Seymour's "girlfriend"…

   Rikku leaned forward to Tidus and looked at his eyes in sort of a sweet way. "Hey, is something wrong?" she asked thoughtfully. "If there is then, you can tell us! We've told you before, we're pals, right?"

   Right, they were his pals…his friends but, why is something deep down inside him telling him not to let anything out? Well, since he was their pal, they tried to brighten up his mood.

   Wakka stepped forward and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. Lulu advanced and put a hand on the other.

   "If you can't say it right now then we'll give you time to think about it." She assured him. She knew that Tidus wasn't the type who easily lets his emotions out and sometimes, she even envies Rikku's aggressive personality---not caring even if she gets yelled at in return.

   "Well…" Rikku finally said, "Whatever's troubling you, just forget about it! Just meet us and the Abes at The Flowing Moon! You know, that coffee shop just across the school gates! We'll have our very first official meeting there!"

   "That's right, ya?" Wakka said as he strongly pat Tidus's back. "Wait 'til you try their chocolate muffins! They're Rikku's all-time favorite, you know? Once, she even gave up going with her diet just for a bite of it!" He jokingly shared this story, which made Rikku give him a playful blow on the head.

   "Hey! And where did you get that load of crap??? We just met at the cafeteria and now you go making up stories that are not even true!" 

   Rikku was pissed and pouted on the spot…

   "…But at least it's not easy to get on her nerves." Tidus happily thought. Being with them seemed to relax him a little. At least he has friends…friends whom he can share stories with…

   Students were once again walking down the corridors carrying books and other things. Tidus, Rikku, Wakka and Lulu all just stood there talking and laughing about anything over the ground. Their conversation was mostly about Blitzball. They all enjoy Blitz! Well, maybe they all do except Lulu because when the topic was changed to Blitzball, she just let out a breath and just kept quiet while her three other friends rambled on "Sphere Shot" and "Grip Gloves" which all sounded like "kid's stuff" to her. Though Rikku still hasn't kicked like Blitz, not even get inside the Sphere Pool even if she can survive underwater for long periods of time, she's the team's energizer who always provides them with pep talks and brings the snacks.

   They finished chatting…

   "See ya after school then! Tidus bid them another goodbye before they disappeared into the crowd…just a few more classes and next stop is The FlowingMoon…then three months from now on, it's time to Blitz with the Luca Goers!!!


	2. The Accident

**Chapter Two:** _The Accident_

   "Man, Chemistry was tougher than I thought!" Tidus told himself. Finally, his first day was over. Next stop is The Flowing Moon. He was wondering whether Wakka and the others are already there waiting for him or wondering if Rikku DOES have a craving for those muffins. Tidus happily imagined Rikku devouring muffin after muffin without even stopping to chew them properly.

   Since it's still quite a long way to the coffee shop, he simply just walked on and chose this moment as the perfect time to talk to himself…

"I'm glad my first day here in Zanarkand High turned out well.Rikku sure is a fire-starter. Wakka's whole self is into Blitz and Lulu…nah, she hardly ever talks about Blitz---only assignments and tests. Why does she have to take schoolwork so seriously??? Well, maybe she lets herself loose and have fun once in a while….

Speaking of schoolwork, wonder what's in store for us tomorrow?"

   He opened the main compartment of his backpack and took out his class schedule.

   "So, Music comes in after lunch…"

   He continued reading the schedule. He read the list of the names of his classmates…

   "Hmmm…they're all pretty much the same---huh? Who's this?"

   A certain name caught his attention…

   "_…Yuna_? Who could this be?" He asked himself. "Nah, guess I'll also know tomorrow. So' I'll be with Wakka and Rikku in Math, not to mention Auron being our teacher. Why does he have to be so obsessed with assignments anyway? Even Rikku's being lured to use a calculator."

   He continued reading his schedule until he folded it and stuffed it back in his backpack. "I might as well worry about that tomorrow…"

   He walked on to FlowingMoon.

   "Hey Rikku!" Wakka called out to her as she was skipping to the counter with some money in her hand. "That's already your fourth order of chocolate muffin!"

   Rikku ignored him and ordered two more of those muffins. "At times like this, I have a big appetite!" She then snatched her Muffins and took a large bite out of one of them.

   Lulu sighed and went on studying her Biology Book. She had just ordered a regular Tuna Sandwich and a Fruit Latte.

   Wakka turned back from Rikku to Lulu's assignment. He got himself four brownies and iced-coffee. "Man, guess it's better if we just postpone the meeting. All the others are busy with their personal problems."

   Rikku quickly paid her money and ran back to their table. She was halfway through munching on her muffin. "I'm sure Tidus would understand. Besides, I just wanna spend this afternoon with no one but us!" she leaned on the table where Wakka and Lulu were sitting facing each other. Rikku didn't bother to sit down. She prefers standing up so she can easily run from one place to another. "You know, I think I better get four more of these tasty muffins." She then ran back to the counter…

   The bell hanging at the top of the door rang…Tidus has just entered the coffee shop. 

   "Hey! Right on!" Rikku shouted.  

   "Hey man, good to see you!" Wakka waved at him.

   Lulu just smiled at him and continued reading her book. She took a bite out of her sandwich and sipped her latte.

   Tidus walked towards them. He placed his backpack beside an empty chair. "So, where's the team?"

   "Sorry brother, but they got a few problems to settle.  Anyway, meeting was postponed tomorrow. Come sit with us!" Wakka happily said as he gestured Tidus to sit on the empty chair beside him.

   Tidus first ordered himself cookies 'n' cream flavored iced-coffee then sat beside Wakka. Rikku ran back to them holding a plastic bag containing half-dozen chocolate muffins…

   "You know Wakka? You make a pretty good fortune-teller." Tidus said after sipping his iced-coffee.

   Wakka stopped chewing on his brownie and looked strangely at Tidus. "And what made you say that?"

   Tidus heaved a sigh. "Just take a look at Rikku and find out for yourself…"

   Wakka did what he was told and he automatically dropped his brownie…Rikku just devoured the half-dozen muffins and ordered one more dozen.

   "Hi! These are really yummy muffins! Want some?" she offered them her half-eaten muffin.

   "Uh…no thanks! I'm okay with my cookies 'n' cream!" Tidus nervously rejected.

   "I'm---full with my brownies!" Wakka quickly exclaimed.

   Lulu still kept a serious face and said "I'm on a diet…"

   After rejecting Rikku's fifth muffin offer, they just sat down and talked, and talked, and talked……Rikku can be heard humming a tune…

   _"Hmmm hmmm….Hmmm hmmm…Hmmm hmmm…."_

   "Hey Rikku! What are you humming?" Tidus asked her.

   Rikku immediately snapped out of her own world and answered Tidus. "That was _Suteki Dane_! You know, the hit song the most popular female singer, Rikki, sang! 

   Her face softened as she closed her eyes and hummed the part _If we could walk holding hands together……_after she did, she sang the rest of the lyrics.

_                         "I want to go to your town…_

_                                                       Into your arms…"_

Wakka and Lulu were busy with something else so they didn't bother to listen. Since Tidus had no one to talk to right now, he just relaxed himself and listened to _Suteki Dane_. He was quite surprised that Rikku can carry a tune…

   …He listened on…the song was beautiful…

_                          "That heart held within your body…"_

_                                                      In those confusing nights I dream…"_

Tidus closed his eyes and slowly rocked his head in tune with the melody…...the song seemed to remind him of  someone……someone with a face as beautiful as an angel's……someone with long, soft hair flowing gracefully……someone like…someone like that brown-haired girl with an emerald-colored left eye and the right one being sapphire-colored…her touch…her voice…he could feel it all come back to him…he could remember exactly how she looked like when he accidentally made her stumble……

   "HEY TIDUS!!!"

   The image of that girl with mismatched eyes swiftly shattered the moment someone called him and at exactly the same time, he jumped in his seat in surprise. "Wh-Wh-What!!!?"

   Everyone was watching him daydream all along! They were all looking at him with worried looks on their faces. 

   "Hey man, what were you doing?" Wakka anxiously asked him.

   Lulu closed her book and looked at him like a concerned big sister. "You weren't yourself the last few minutes."

   "Maybe it was something you ate!" Rikku guessed while touching his forehead.

   "No, I just need to go out for a while….I-I mean, Auron wants me home early tonight so I gotta go home now. I'll see you all tomorrow." He added before swinging his backpack to his shoulders. He then stepped out of the Flowing Moon and made his way home.

   "See 'ya tomorrow in Math!" Rikku called after him…

   Tidus walked out of the coffee shop then down to the streets of the city and headed for the apartment he and Auron are living in right now. As he walked on, something in his mind was constantly bothering him.

   "That girl I bumped into this morning……I can't stop thinking about her!" His mind screamed. "…Damn, I forgot to ask Rikku about her too…"

   He took a deep breath and kicked a can of soda lying on the road. No matter what he does, he just can't get her out of his head. Her face, her mismatched eyes, her voice, and her touch when he unintentionally touched her---they were all hard to erase.

   "Tidus, snap out of it!" his mind shouted to himself. "There's no way she'll fall for a guy like you! She's pretty and all and you're just the…the new kid…"

   He was probably thinking too much…

   "Just forget about her and go on!"

   He kept on walking, and thinking. And whatever he thought about, it was always the same image that he hallucinated back in The Flowing Moon. He wildly shook his head, trying to put her aside but he just ended up letting her image dwell in his mind…

   As he walked on until he already couldn't see Zanarkand High behind him, he saw an enormous building under construction on the other side of the street. At the base of that building, he also saw someone walking who was very familiar…someone with brown hair and mismatched eyes…

   "Th-That's her!!!"

   Tidus immediately stopped and stared at her. He felt his heartbeat go double the speed as he stared at her more, her short brown hair, her long blue tinkling earring and her clothes being blown gently by the wind.

   He tried to approach her and say "hi" but he couldn't even step forward. Heck, he felt as though his whole body went numb, as if he was completely paralyzed. All he could do was stare…

   "Wow…she's pretty…" he gladly said without removing his eyes from her.

   He continued staring at her as she walked….strangely, it was quiet…too quiet…only to be broken by a loud, snapping noise which Tidus heard from above.

   He looked up and the very moment he did, he let out a loud gasp. A cable holding a dozen large steel pipes forty storeys high snapped closely above the brown-haired girl---she was gonna get smashed.

   "Hey! Above you!" He yelled to her.

   "Wh-What…?" She noticed a large shadow around her growing larger and larger every second. She looked up and the moment she did, she froze with fear...

   Tidus forgot the fact that he was paralyzed and dashed to her. He didn't want something like this to happen. No way. Especially on his first day in Zanarkand High and especially not to her.

   He was only a few feet away from her-----

   "Gotcha!"

   -----He flung his arms around her waist and dived out of the way right before the massive steel pipes crashed to the concrete ground. He held her tight as a loud, booming sound spread to the whole city. Strong wind caused by the impact was blowing against them. He held her tighter as clouds of dust swept past them. He kept holding on to her, trying to keep her safe from harm until finally, the deafening sound faded away

   "Are you alright?" Tidus asked her. He held her arms and got her on her feet.

   "Yes…" She weakly answered.

   "That was really close…" He said as he straightened himself up. "You're the girl I bumped into this morning, right? Didn't catch your name. What is it anyway?"

   "……Yuna….." she answered in almost a whisper. Her body was slowly growing weaker…

   "Oh, so Yuna's your name. That's a nice one! My name's-----huh!?"

   Yuna slowly closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

   "Whoa!"

   She collapsed but Tidus was there to catch her on time. He put her in a resting position, her head resting on his arm. He shook her lightly, trying to bring her back to consciousness.

   "Hey! Yuna! Wake up! Open your eyes!" He pleaded, still shaking her.

   In just a short time, the whole area was already crowded with police cars, vans transmitting reporters and journalists and some bystanders and witnesses. The police stepped out of their cars and surrounded the construction site. Swarms of reporters advanced to Tidus and assaulted him with overlapping questions.

   "At exactly what time did this atrocious incident occur?"

   "Were there any casualties when this occurrence took place?" 

   "What happened to that young woman you're holding, boy?"

    They simultaneously asked, their mics pointed at him. Before Tidus could answer, he was always broken off with more questions. Camera's flashed everywhere he looked. He and Yuna were completely surrounded by these persistent reporters.

   He already wanted to get out of there so he decided on squeezing his way out. He put his arm under Yuna's knees and the other around her shoulders and lifted her up, carrying her. He pushed his way out. He managed to get out of the ring of reporters…only to be blocked by a few more…

   "Get out of my way!!!" Tidus shouted at them. His anger was now nearing its limit.

   "Sir, just please answer our questions first. We need this for our report---"

   "SHUT UP!!!"

   Tidus was so furious that he couldn't control his anger any longer. He raised his fist and punched the nearest reporter straight on the face. Almost everyone in the area was confounded by what Tidus did. The rest of the reporters and journalists stepped back, not wanting to be knocked out.

   "I don't care about your damn report!!!"

   After that, he looked ahead and ran on, carrying Yuna in his arms.

   Auron was in the kitchen cooking crab soup and tofu. The TV in the living room was turned on. It was reporting about the accident that happened at the construction site near Zanarkand High.

   "Two High School students were almost killed during the---"

   Auron clicked the remote control, turning the TV off. He didn't want to listen to anymore of this. He was about to set the plates when the front door burst open. He saw Tidus standing wearily by the doorframe. He was breathing hard and fast and was carrying an unconscious woman.

   "Tidus, it's late. Where have you been and isn't SHE one of my students!? What kind of trouble did you get into this time!?"

   Auron's voice was fixed but heated. He was predicting that Tidus got himself fixed into trouble.

   "Auron, I didn't get into trouble! It's a long story but I'll tell you later. Hurry and clear the couch!"

   Without a word, he removed all the pillows on the couch and placed them on the other one. He then went into the kitchen to get a basin of warm water and a soft piece of white cloth. Tidus gently laid Yuna on the emptied couch. He took some pillows and inserted them under her head. He then went to his room and came back with blankets to cover her in case she got cold. 

   "What happened to her?" Auron asked as he placed the basin on the table at the center of the living room between the two couches. Though he sounded worried, Tidus could sense that he was still suspicious.

   Tidus soaked the cloth into the water, rinsed it and put it on her forehead. "She must've fainted from shock." He said as he held her wrist to check her pulse. It was still beating…

   "Don't worry Auron, she'll be alright. She just passed out." He said with relief. "Help me here, will 'ya?"

   He lifted Yuna by her shoulders and put her in a sitting position. Auron took her pink sweater off and hanged it behind the front door. Tidus then unfolded the blanket and covered her with it, making sure that she's warm and comfortable.

   "Now tell me exactly what happened." Auron told him.

   Tidus took a deep breath and started…

   "Well, she was about to be crushed by these steel pipes then I saved her in time. It was so close, Auron. You should've seen it!"

   Steel pipes……Auron's mind suddenly went back to the news…was he talking about the accident…?

   "Then why didn't you come home early like what I told you before you left for school!? I want a very reasonable answer for this one, Tidus!" Auron asked him. His voice was severe this time…

   "Relax, old man! It's just that carrying her all the way here isn't as easy as you think!" He impatiently answered his protective father figure. "You know I can't just leave her there, especially with her unconscious! And those damn reporters won't stop pestering me!"

   "Then why didn't you just bring her to her home?"

   "Heck, I don't even know where she lives……and besides, I want her to stay here for a while…"

   "---And what do you mean by THAT!?" Now Auron was really suspicious. What exactly is he intending with "_I want her to stay here for a while."?_

   "Uhh----nothing!" He quickly countered, trying to take back what he said.

   Auron sighed…then he gestured Tidus to the kitchen.

   "Come, let us have dinner."

   They both walked to the kitchen and took their places on the table. Tidus helped himself with a bowl of steaming rice and some crab soup. Auron sat across Tidus and put a few pieces of Tofu on his plate. He was reading the class schedule for tomorrow.

   "So, you, Rikku and Wakka will be in my class tomorrow before lunch. Just make sure you pass your assignment."

   The assignment…he forgot about doing it but he didn't feel like answering all those complex problems right now…

   "You're not eating, my boy." Auron said as he put down the schedule.

   Tidus also didn't feel like eating right now. He hardly touched his rice. Just small sips of crab soup. He took occasional glances at the living room wondering when Yuna will wake up.

   "You're worried about her, aren't you?" He asked but this time, it was full of concern.

   "Yeah…" Tidus quietly answered. So many things have happened…and all those so many things happened just today…especially the time when fate led him to come face to face with his archenemy---Seymour…and most especially when he bumped into Yuna…then he just risked his life to save her from a near-death experience just a while ago…it's really getting weird...

   Auron stood up and took Tidus's untouched bowl of rice and his half-sipped crab soup and placed them by the sink.

   "Hey, I'm not finished with those yet!" Tidus said as he hurriedly stood up.

   Auron turned to face him. "Then why are you not eating?"

   Tidus paused..."I'm not hungry..." That made sense though, why eat when not hungry?

   They both walked back to the living room. Yuna was till asleep but somehow calmer now. She looks like she was just sleeping peacefully without any fears or worries.

   "Look after her." Auron told him.

   "What about you?" Tidus asked him as he opened a door on the other side of the room.

   "I'll be in my room preparing your lessons in Trigonometry for tomorrow. Call me when she wakes up." He said and before he closed the door, he added a few more words.

   "Keep her safe..."

   "Okay, I will..." Tidus answered him and afterwards, he shut the door.

   Tidus removed his eyes from Auron's room then fixed them on the girl sleeping on the couch beside him.

   "It's gonna be a long night..."

   He removed his dark-blue jacket and hanged it behind the front door beside Yuna's pink sweater. He had been wearing it the whole day for he felt kind of cool after taking it off, leaving only his shaded yellow shirt with long sleeves that are bright blue in color. He threw himself down the other couch. It was already nine-thirty at night.

   "It's late..."

   He just lied there with his arms under his head and just thought about anything...but whatever appeared in his head, it was always that girl who was sleeping on the couch just a few feet across him. He turned to look at her...and smiled...

   "She's so beautiful...even when she's sleeping..." 

   Quite a few minutes passed...

   An idea popped in his head...he ran to his room and walked back holding a Chocobo doll his mom gave him a year before she passed away. He snuggled it between her arms and to his surprise, she let out a small purr and cuddled the doll. The Chocobo's head was resting on her cheek.

   A soft, gentle smile was formed on his face...even she liked the stuffed toy that he used to play with ten years ago...

   She shifted into another position which made a few strands of her hazel-colored hair fall on her face. He knelt down beside her and tenderly put those strands behind her ear...it felt soft...just like silk...

   He threw himself back down on the other couch again...it was hard to believe that he was actually with her tonight. So far, all he could is wait for her to regain consciousness.

   He looked at his watch...it was now ten p.m.

   "It's really late...wonder if her family's worrying about her?" He asked himself. "Let's just hope she wakes up soon..."

   For the second time that night, he lied back down on the couch and waited...he closed his eyes...he almost fell asleep until...

   "_Hmm...._"

   He heard a sound that he was eagerly waiting for...

   "Yuna!"

   Tidus wholeheartedly scampered towards her. He sat beside her while she was still lying down.

   Yuna slowly and weakly got up. She touched her forehead for she still felt sleepy with a bit of dizziness. She faintly opened her eyes...everything was blurry...

   "Yuna! Are you alright now?"

   That voice...the same one she heard when she was about to be taken away from Earth...if it wasn't for the man with that voice then she wouldn't be here right now...

   "Wh-Where...am I...?" 

   Tidus took her by her shoulders and laid her back down.

   "You need to rest first, Yuna. Wait here while I call Auron."

    He stood up and entered Auron's room and shut the door behind him. After Auron mistakenly accused Tidus of trying to take a peek at their test for tomorrow, he stepped out of his room and walked towards Yuna. Tidus went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

   "Here." He said as he handed her the glass. She took it and took a small sip from it. 

   A soundless, yet, grateful "Thanks" was all she could mutter.

   Auron settled himself with a small stool. He was greatly relieved that Yuna's come back to awareness. Tidus just stood there with his arms crossed but took occasional secret glances at Yuna.

   "S-Sir Auron!" Yuna was deeply taken aback when she saw her Math teacher right in front of her. "What...what happened to me...?"

   Auron put a hand on her shoulder. "You fell asleep...you must've been so terrified that you lost consciousness." Auron moved his gaze from Yuna to the stuffed yellow bird she was unconsciously hugging. "How did you get that?" 

   "Oh!"  She squeaked as she looked at it. "I don't know. I wasn't even aware that I had this but..." She sit the Chocobo on her lap and stroked its head. "...he's kind of soft and cuddly..."

   Tidus felt himself blush. If Yuna finds that out, she might think that he still plays with stuffed animals.

   She got up without delay. "Sir Auron, what time is it!?" 

   "Fifteen minutes past ten." Tidus immediately answered, looking at his watch, right before Auron could say anything.

   Yuna gasped and got to her feet. The blanket that was covering her slid down from her waist to the floor. 

   "Oh no! I can't believe it's already this late!"

   She turned to face Auron and bowed down. "Sir Auron, thank you so much for looking after me but I have to go now." She thanked him and walked to the front door but before she could even take a step forward, Tidus grabbed her arm and stopped her.

   "Wait." He said, keeping a firm grip around her arm. "I'll go with you. It's too dangerous to go out at this time at night, especially for a girl like you." He determinedly said while trying to force himself deep down inside to let go of her. "That is, if you don't mind."

   "No, not at all!" She exclaimed. "I--I was going to ask you to accompany me anyway."

   Although he hated to do it, he released her. "Here, your sweater..." He said as he took her pink sweater from behind the front door and handed it to her. 

   "Oh, um...thanks." She smiled sweetly at him. "What's your name?"

   "It's Tidus." Tidus answered in a charming way, which somewhat made Yuna feel warm inside...

   He helped her put her sweater on and put on his dark-blue jacket. 

   "Tidus, be home early. And make sure you bring her home safely" Auron called after them as they walked into the quiet heart of the city...

   The city of Spiralis is completely different from its daytime counterpart. It was absolutely quiet and serene, not to mention windy and cold. One thing Tidus loved about this kind of set-up is that the cool and gentle breeze seemed to calm him down a little, now that he was actually walking Yuna home.

   "Almost forgot!" His mind suddenly remembered. "I don't even know where she lives. I'll just probably ask her. Might be the perfect time to get to know her better..."

   Surprisingly, Yuna also had her thoughts on something else...

   "I know we just met but...why do I feel safe whenever I'm around him? Why can't I act as normally as I usually do? And also...why did he save me...even if he had to risk his life...?

   After that brief thinking, she took a breath of courage and asked him...

   "Um...Tidus?"

   "Yeah?" He coolly asked, looking at her.

   "Um..." She paused, trying to think of the right words to say.

   They both stopped in the middle of the path. The wind was blowing harder and stronger than ever.

   "Why...why did you save me...even if the chances are you're going to lose your life...?" She quietly asked.

   Tidus too paused, thinking even harder and deeper for a good and 'not so obvious' answer.

   "Well you see..." He started, "It's just...it's just...it's just that I didn't want something like that to happen! I mean, I dunno..." He trailed off, feeling like a stuttering jackass who couldn't even say what he really meant.

   They walked on...not daring to start a conversation. 

   "Say Yuna!" Tidus abruptly asked. "Where do you live anyway? What I mean is, how can I take you home if I don't know your address?"

   "It's not very far away." She quietly answered.

   Tidus just noticed, her voice was small but sweet at the same time. He also noticed that she was so nice and gentle that she wouldn't hurt a fly. As she walked, she kept her hands together and she always had her head down. She seemed to be in deep thought... It was already past quarter to eleven until...

   "Yuna?"

   She immediately jumped the moment Tidus called her name. Tidus was surprised at this and he put a hand on her shoulder.

   "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to tell you that we're already here---"

   Yuna didn't realize that they already stopped in front of a small house unit located halfway past Zanarkand High.

   "---that is, if this is the place." Tidus finished, sounding unsure. "You said that it's not very far away, right?" he added thoughtfully.

   Yuna looked at her small home and smiled a small smile...it felt so good to be back home...

   "Yes, this is it." She happily said. "And..."

   Yuna paused and was silent for a moment. Tidus was surprised. "Huh...? A-And what?" He wondered, trying to finish the sentence for her.

   He was still keenly waiting for a reply until she looked back up to face him...

   "Thank you." She smiled sweetly at him. Tidus just smiled back and raised his hand, bidding her goodnight.

   He turned and made his way back home. Yuna remained standing by the front door and watched him walk away...not realizing she was absent-mindedly wearing a soft smile until finally, he walked out of sight...

   She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After a quite a few seconds, she was greeted by her cousin who was a year younger than her. She had blonde hair tied in a ponytail and her eyes were green. She was wearing green PJ's and was holding a Moomba doll around her arm.

   "YUNIE!!!"

   Yuna was slightly pushed back as Rikku leapt and threw her arms around her neck.

    "Yunie! I was so worried about you! Why didn't you come home so soon? I was scared...wondering what could've happened to you!" She cried has she hugged her cousin tighter.

   Yuna kept her warm smile and stroked her younger cousin's hair. On the contrary, they were more like sisters. "Rikku..."

    Rikku finally stepped back and led Yuna to their living room.

   "You better rest, Yunie." She said as she prepared a mug of hot chocolate for her. "What happened to you anyway?"

   After taking the hot mug from Rikku, Yuna started to tell her everything from the time she was almost killed by those enormous steel pipes---

   "Yunie!" She gasped as she clasped her mouth with her hands. "I can't believe that almost happened to you! Are you hurt? Should I call a doctor---?"

   "It's okay, Rikku. I'm alright." She stood up as she put her mug down and patted Rikku on her shoulder. "You still haven't heard the good parts."

   Rikku's face brightened as she sat back down and leaned closer to Yuna, wanting to know the "good part" of the story. "What happened next then!?" She excitedly asked, eagerness shown on her face.

   "Well..." Yuna started but she trailed off...

   Rikku leaned closer. "Well what!?"

   Yuna's eyes softened as she continued "Just when I thought everything was over...someone saved me."

   "Who?" Rikku impatiently asked, leaning even closer.

   "After that, I passed out and he---"

   "Caught you, right?" Rikku finished the sentence for her.

   "Yes, and then I slept for what seemed like hours then I woke up, and found myself in his house. The funny thing is, I was also hugging a yellow Chocobo doll."

   Rikku's face brightened even more. "Wow! What happened next?"

   "It turned out that the person who saved me happened to be someone I bumped into this morning..." 

   Rikku pressed on "And then...?"      

   Yuna was almost finished... "And then he walked me home..."

   She sighed and drank all of her hot chocolate. Rikku was somehow affected with Yuna's story but she missed an important point.

   "Yunie!" Rikku cried out. "You haven't even told me who your hero was. Is he someone I know? What's his name?"

   Yuna put her mug back down and looked straightly at her cousin. "Tidus..."

   Rikku was happily shocked when she heard one of her best friends' names. A small and mischievous grin formed itself on her face.

   "...Wow..." She distractedly blurted out, meaning that she can't wait a minute to play her most favorite game...

   "Rikku?" 

   Rikku snapped back to reality the second Yuna called her. "Is something wrong?"

   "N-Nothing Yunie!" She said, standing up and stretching herself. "You know, it's really late. We should go to sleep soon. You should brush your teeth and change into your PJ's. We've got a long day ahead of us!"

   Yuna agreed and nodded her head and finally went upstairs. Although she did get enough sleep back at Tidus's home, the events of the day somehow made her tired and sleepy once more. She could still remember how that cuddly Chocobo doll felt like...


	3. The Next Day

**Chapter Three:** _The Next Day..._

    It was already 7am the next morning and the sun was only half-risen. Tidus still lay on his bed hugging his Chocobo doll snugly. His unfolded blanket was just lying on the floor. The morning sunlight which was pouring in through the window shone on his face. He tossed and turned, trying not to be forced out of bed by the bright sunlight until his father figure entered his room.

   "Get up, Tidus." He told him as he spread open the curtain to let sunlight fill the room.

   Tidus, still wanting to get more shut-eye, turned and hugged his stuffed Chocobo tighter. "Auron, just five more minutes. I'm still sleepy..."

   "And five minutes is exactly what you have left before school starts."

   Tidus rapidly got up. "What!!!? Already!!!? I can't believe I overslept!!!"

   He immediately jumped out of bed and rummaged his drawer for something to wear.

   Auron turned back to the door and said something to Tidus before he walked out. "Come down for breakfast later."

   After around three minutes, Tidus darted to the living room, grabbed his backpack and didn't even bother to eat a few pieces of toast.

   "Aren't you going to eat? " Auron called after him as he slammed the door open.

   "No time, Auron! I gotta go!" He answered as he burned out, running all the way to Zanarkand High.

   Auron heaved a sigh and sipped his hot chocolate. "That boy never changes...he is the same one that I knew since I met Jecht..."

   Tidus rushed to Zanarkand High and didn't even stop to catch his breath. He was already late and being later is far worse. He ran faster until he reached the construction site where the accident yesterday happened. It was different from how it was yesterday. Everything was in shambles.

   He stopped, partly because he was so out of breath, and partly because he wanted to reminisce on how he saved Yuna from certain death. 

   Panting, he walked nearer to the same place where the steel pipes caused such an impact.

   "This is where I saved her..." He thought, not removing his eyes from the disfigurement on the concrete ground.

   Everything flashed back to him. He saw her walking, heard the steel pipes fall and lastly...saved her. His eyes widened even more. What did he do after the pipes crashed? He dived out and then---

   "Oh yeah..." Tidus finally remembered. "I hugged her and..."

   He let out a small breath. "I wasn't even aware of that..."

   Tidus stood there, his gaze still fixed on the damaged mark on the sidewalk. He actually couldn't believe it...then after that, she collapsed and lost consciousness. He caught her before she hit the ground and because of that, he was able to hold her in his arms. It was like an instant dream come true.

   He looked at his hands... "Wow...I can't believe I was able to hold her like that..." 

   He continued staring at them for what seemed like minutes until---

   "Hey Tidus!!!"

   Tidus wheeled around and saw Wakka from a distance. He smiled and waved at him. Wakka waved back and walked towards Tidus.

   "Hey man!" He brightly greeted him with a pat on the shoulder. "Why up so early in the morning?"

   Tidus flickered. He almost forgot. He was already late for school. 

   "I---gotta go!" He said as he streaked past Wakka, only to be stopped when Wakka grabbed his arm.

   "Relax, man!" Wakka said, keeping a firm grip. "The schedule's been changed. So don't worry about being late."

   Tidus calmed down a bit. "Hwah..." He let out a breath. "I'm glad."

   They grabbed their backpacks and walked on to Zanarkand High. Just as they were halfway through, they hear a voice call them from behind.

   "Hey Tidus! Wakka! Over here!"

   They turned and saw their blonde, vibrant friend prancing towards them. Perhaps Rikku's cheerful 24/7, even in the morning. Wherever she goes, she always wears a happy smile.

   "Um, Tidus?" She asked.

   "Yeah?" He replied.

   "Thanks...for saving Yunie yesterday and for looking after her......" Rikku thanked him. She sounded grateful, yet her tone was not as blissful as she usually says it. Tidus knew she really meant it, but...

   ...Yunie? Who could she be? Is Rikku possibly referring to---?

   "Oh, I almost forgot!" She added. "Yunie's my cousin! Her real name's Yuna but I just call her Yunie! Her mom and my dad are brother and sister! Pretty cool, huh!?" 

   So she and Yuna were related all along. Too bad he can't say the same for their personalities.

   "Well, let's go!" Rikku skipped ahead and led the way. Tidus let out a breath and Wakka just lightly shook his head but followed her later on to Zanarkand High. They had to run for Rikku already sprinted ahead.

   They reached Zanarkand High five minutes earlier than what they thought. They entered the building and into the corridors to their lockers to get ready for their first classes that day. Tidus took out his schedule and read it.

   "Okay, so we're having Math first...with Auron." He said, sounding frustrated.

   "Hey, cheer up, ya?" Wakka tried to perk him up. "I'm betting Sir Auron will be a little softer to you from now on!"

   "Hee hee hee, yeah! Soft and cuddly!!!" Rikku teasingly annoyed Tidus, which made him headlock her in sort of a friendly way. 

   After fooling around for quite a while, they all grabbed their backpacks and walked on to Math. Tidus was already quite used around these parts of the school so he didn't need anymore directing.

   "Uh, what time is it?" Wakka asked.

   Rikku looked at her digital wristwatch and exclaimed. "Seven o' five!"

   "Wait!" Tidus shouted, stopping them both.

   "What?" Wakka and Rikku turned and asked him with confused looks on their faces.

   "Give me a second here." Tidus opened his backpack and took out his schedule. He read it, and to his terror, Math classes already started---

   "SHOOT, WE'RE FIVE MINUTES LATE!!!"

   Without a second of hesitation, they rocketed through the corridors and to the Math classroom. Being late for Auron's class can somewhat mean an instant death sentence. They hurried on for they were too young to die...

   "This is it!" Rikku cried. "Sir Auron's gonna kill us!"

   "Save the last goodbye's, Rikku!" Wakka shouted, running behind them. "We might get a chance of surviving if we hurry."    

   Tidus didn't say anything. His mind was too focused on getting there on time. 

   "Speaking of lateness, how did Auron get here before us? He was at home even after I took off!" He wondered, but for now...

   "I better worry about that later. Showing up there on time's more important than this!!!"

   They sped on. They kept on running until they spotted the door to the Math classroom a few feet away. They almost dived for the handle in much hurry. Even worse, they fumbled the doorknob carelessly. After ten seconds, they finally opened the door...

   "You three!" Auron glared fiercely at them. "Why are you late? I want an explanation for this!"

   Tidus, Wakka and Rikku were breathing hard and fast, leaning against the doorframe for support.

   Rikku started to answer. It wasn't easy for she was exhausted.  "We...we...we got...we got ummm..."

   It was also no easy task to make up an excuse.

   "We got lost..." Tidus finished for her. 

   Auron stood up and walked towards them. "Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and take your seats before I change my mind about taking marks off your assignment!"

   Tidus froze...he was so occupied with keeping Yuna safe last night that he completely forgot to do his assignment. He took a sideways glance at Rikku and Wakka, slightly hoping that they forgot to do their assignments too. But he suddenly remembered that---

   "I hope Sir Auron doesn't notice the slight differences." Rikku nervously thought as she handed the paper to Auron. She would be dead meat once Auron finds out that she did get some "help" from a little gadget.

   Wakka just plainly handed over his assignment, his face calm, and somehow, anxious at the same time. Unexpectedly, Auron didn't ask for Tidus's assignment. He just walked back to his desk right after he took Rikku and Wakka's assignments.

   The three of them sat beside each other near the window. Tidus was still wondering......did Auron just forget about it? Nah, he wouldn't. Auron's taking all this assignment stuff very seriously

   The whole class, also suspicious of the fact that Tidus just got away, stared at him. But a small group of guys dressed in dark leather jackets weren't just staring. They were glaring fiercely at him...

   Auron fixed their assignments then looked at Tidus. "You were probably tired, after yesterday's events." He told him. "Risking your life for Yuna was a hard task." And after he said that, he made a small smile...

   Tidus was slightly surprised. Auron wasn't usually like this. Rikku poked him lightly with her elbow and Wakka gave him a friendly punch on his arm. Tidus slightly blushed from embarrassment but felt praised at the same time. Only the group of guys were looking at them with murderous faces. 

   "Hey!" Tidus whispered to Wakka. "Who are those guys? And why are they looking at me like that? Like I'm some kind of wanted criminal?"

   "Listen to me, man." Wakka lowered his voice while lowering his head. He pushed Tidus's head down to make sure no one is eavesdropping. Rikku also huddled with them to listen. "Those guys are..." He paused, thinking of the right words to describe them.

   "Seymour's lackeys!" Rikku told them in a loud whisper. "You know, they do everything Seymour does! Almost everyone here in school is scared of them! They're bullies!!!"

   Tidus finally understood. So they were Seymour's cronies...no wonder they look intimidating, although Seymour himself doesn't look like it.

   "And that Seymour's far worse than all those thugs put together!" Rikku cried out, no longer whispering. "Can you believe it? He forced Yunie to be his gir---"

   Before Rikku could finish, Wakka rapidly took out his lunchbox and immediately stuffed a chocolate muffin in her mouth.

   "Yum! Hee hee, thanks Wakka!" Rikku said as she chewed on the muffin.

   "No TALKING and absolutely no EATING in class!!!" Auron roared at them in a tone that made the whole class freeze.

   Tidus, Wakka and Rikku were stunned. They all uneasily looked at Auron, who was now standing in front of them. Rikku gulped and hid the muffin behind her back while letting out a small "Heh heh heh heh...". Wakka kept quiet and pulled his chair away from Tidus and Rikku. Tidus just didn't 

say anything but he could hear Seymour's cronies sniggering at them.

   "I see you've been having quite a conversation." Auron said, strictly looking at them. "Especially when I'm at the point where I'm examining your works."

   He read Rikku's assignment. Tidus and Wakka could see Rikku shaking. Wakka snickered.

   Auron checked Rikku's work more carefully. "You've improved, Rikku. Only eleven mistakes out of twenty problems."

   Tidus was surprised. He never knew Rikku was this bad at Math. She couldn't even perfect her assignment even with the help of a calculator. He grinned at her, which made her look at him with a wound up face.

   The school bell rang through the corridors, signaling break time. Tidus, Wakka and Rikku, slowly accompanied by Auron, stepped out of the classroom and headed for the lockers. 

   "Hey! Sir Auron! Nice get-up!" Rikku said as she looked at Auron's outfit from his shirt, leather pants and high-cut leather shoes, all of which are black, up to his red trenchcoat. Although Tidus hated to admit, he does look like a badass in that apparel.

   "So what made you wear that anyway, Auron?" Tidus asked.

   "My style of clothing..." Auron answered stiffly "...is none of your concern."

   Tidus just groaned and walked on. Rikku pranced ahead in front of the three boys. She skipped faster ahead until she spotted a familiar friend leaning on the wall, reading a textbook.

   "Hey Lulu! How're you doing?"

   Rikku smiled and approached Lulu. Lulu just smiled back. Tidus just waved at her but Wakka? Well, Tidus just noticed that he's acting a bit differently right now. He kept his hands in his pockets and his head was down but somehow, he was always taking a secret glances at Lulu. The funny thing is he would always turn red with every peek.

   "Hey Wakka! Is something wrong? Why are you blushing?"

   Wakka snapped back to the real world. "N-Nothing! It's nothing. I'm alright! No need to worry about me, ya?" He answered all of them, still sounding confident.

   Rikku wasn't just about to let Wakka get away. She was planning to expand her little "game" into something bigger. She smiled a mischievous smile and poked Wakka with her elbow, which made him jump slightly.

   "Stop that! Will 'ya!?" Wakka complained, sounding annoyed.

   "Why? You haven't been yourself since you laid eyes on Lu---"

   ---Wakka instantly grabbed Rikku by her mouth, causing her to make muffled sounds. 

   "Mmmmf! Mmmmf!"

   "Will you shut up!?" Wakka angrily whispered to Rikku, who was struggling to get out of Wakka's strong grip.

   "What was that?" Lulu asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

    Wakka started to look shaky. Now Tidus and Auron knew what's going on. Wakka had a little "something" on Lulu. Wakka was just good enough to hide it yesterday at the Flowing Moon but today, he's losing his touch.

   Tidus was wondering if Lulu would ever feel the same towards Wakka...

   ...and if Yuna would ever feel exactly the same towards him......

   "Nah, maybe not..." Tidus disappointedly thought.

   Rikku managed to pull Wakka's hands of her mouth. "You meanie! Go give him detention, Sir Auron! Condemn him to a lifetime of assignments!!! He's a meanie! MEANIE!!!" She cried as she hid behind Auron and nudged him towards Wakka.

   "I don't think that will be necessary, Rikku." Auron replied shakily for he was still being pressed on by his playful student.

   "Well, I'm not the one with the big mouth that just rants on things carelessly!" Wakka jokingly annoyed Rikku back.

   "WHAT!!!? Sir Auron! Did you hear what he said to me!? Make him scrub the toilets! Give him loads of grueling assignments!! Make him stay after school!!! Just do anything as long as you give him a proper punishment!!!" Rikku pushed Auron even harder but still, he won't move.

   Although Rikku was starting to get on Auron's nerves, he can't seem to be angry at her. There was something about her, well maybe a part of her that's making him anger-free. Perhaps it's her cheery personality or maybe just her whole self. She was just so...cheerful!

   Tidus slowly shook his head. He knew Rikku wasn't the type who easily gives in. The only way to end this is to just talk her, Wakka and Auron out of it.

   "C'mon Rikku, just let it rest." He told her with a pat on the shoulder. "Let's go grab something to eat at the cafeteria. I'm starving!"

   "Same here." Lulu stepped forward. Wakka sort of looked insecure the moment she spoke.

   Rikku was just about to not let him get away again---

   "Don't-You-Say-A-Word!!!"

   ---until Wakka stopped her...

   Rikku let out a small "Tsk!" and snapped her fingers. Luckily enough, Lulu didn't suspect a thing. Tidus thought...how far is Rikku gonna go just for this......? And how far would he be going just for...

   "I better drop that business for later." Tidus finally ended his thoughts.

   Minutes later...

   "Hey Sir Auron! Buy me a sandwich, will 'ya?" Rikku confidently asked Auron while all five of them were walking. Tidus was amazed on how honest and straightforward Rikku can get. She, of all people, is asking Auron, of all teachers, to just buy her a sandwich. How can she just boldly do that? Did she just forget that Auron is currently the most feared teacher in Zanarkand High?

   "Rikku!!" Lulu scolded her. "How can you just say something like that!?"

   Rikku's face brightened even more. "Don't you know? Teachers get a 50% discount! It's just one way of saving, you know? And besides..." She stopped and looked at the ground, her face not so bright anymore. "I'm broke..."

   "Why did you have to buy all those muffins anyway?" Tidus asked her.

   "I was unable to control myself!!!" Rikku screamed. "Now I'm never gonna it eat a muffin again! Not a single one!"

   Wakka whistled in surprise. Is she trying to pull his leg again? Well, if she ever is, it's not gonna work this time. After she put him through a lot of trouble with Lulu almost finding out that he has a cru---

   "Wait a minute!!!" Wakka's mind got hold of itself. "What am I thinking!!!?" He wildly shook his head.

   "Now you're acting even weirder than before!!!" Rikku forgot about nagging Auron into buying her a sandwich and walked towards Wakka. Of course, it's not all the time she acts younger than her age. She also has her mature sides and of course she cares about her friends too. She leaned forward. "Are you sure you're alright?"

   Wakka eventually stood up straight. "Yeah, I just got distracted by uh...something, ya?"

   "Maybe it's from too much practice. You should take a rest between Bltzball practice sessions too." Lulu unexpectedly stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. Wakka reacted to this badly. He jumped carelessly and felt a sudden rush of blood to his head.

   Rikku sighed. 

   "C'mon." 

   She gestured Tidus and Auron to tag on with her to the cafeteria. 

   "Hey Rikku! Wait up!" 

   The two boys hurried and followed her for she already ran faster ahead. Since Tidus was a fast runner in some way, it didn't take him long to catch up with Rikku. Now that Auron is, in Tidus's case, an old man, also quite a bulky one, he had a hard time catching up with his two other students. He felt kind of uncomfortable for it was quite funny to see a teacher, especially a greatly feared one run after his two students.

   Rikku finally stopped in front of the doors to the cafeteria. Tidus and Auron caught up soon but with their breaths short.

   "Rikku..." Tidus said despairingly, his breathing hard and his hands on his knees. "You run too fast..."

   Rikku just popped out a happy smile. "It's just me naturally and you better live with it!"

   Auron just heaved a sigh...he was tired from all this running.

   "Better watch yourself next time, old man." Tidus sarcastically reminded his father figure which made him look at Tidus as if he was ready to kill. Rikku tried to brighten up the mood by not forgetting to ask Auron to buy her sandwich. To Tidus's surprise, Auron eventually agreed. Heck, he even asked her which flavor she wants.

   That afternoon...

   Tidus was walking alone through the hallways of Zanarkand High. It was just a few minutes past lunch time and he was on his way to his next class. Tidus thought...things will be slightly better from now on...

   ...but what about Seymour...?

   "Nah, best not to think about it." He thought back. 

   An hour ago, while he was eating lunch along with Auron and Rikku at the cafeteria, they had a fun time just chatting about anything that came to their minds. Rikku did most of the talking while Auron added in a few reminders about lessons and assignments. Since Tidus and Rikku are both happy-go-lucky and easygoing, they chose to ignore this and yakked on how Wakka reacted with just a simple pat on the shoulder from Lulu.

   What Tidus liked about that moment that it didn't feel like a teacher-student relationship. It felt something much bigger than that. Something like...a family. It's been a long while since Tidus felt this kind of warmth. It's also been a long while since he felt belonged to that kind of family.

   Now Tidus knew the reason why Rikku suddenly ran off is that she wanted to give Wakka and Lulu some "alone" time. 

   "Rikku...that girl's always looking for trouble." Tidus gladly said to himself. But it's good to have Rikku as a friend. Always cheerful, always optimistic about everything and especially, she always cares for her friends, and that includes Auron. Somehow, Rikku treats Auron more like a best buddy than a strict Math teacher. Tidus meant, why would she just casually ask for a sandwich?

   But for now, he just has to focus on getting to his next class. He took out his schedule and read it. He'll be having Music next. He remembered that yesterday. Now that he knows what's in store for him next, there was only one problem and that's to find it.

   "But where do I start?" He asked himself. Zanarkand High's bigger than he thought it would be. He hoped that he wouldn't have to walk all the way to the next building just to attend Music classes. 

   He looked at his watch.

   "Damn, only five minutes left!"

   He started to walk faster, slowly becoming anxious. He walked on until he was actually running. This time, he dashed faster searching both sides of the hall for the Music Room.

   Tidus was starting to feel uneasy and tense. Little by little he was running out of time. He took no time in worrying and rushed ahead without looking at the path in front of him. He ran faster ahead, looking at all the signs above the doors but none of them seems to be the Music classroom......

   Tidus was starting to get more and more troubled with every passing minute. He kept on running until---

   ---he bumped into someone...again...

   He was just pushed slightly backwards after the hit but the person he run into lost her balance and landed on the floor, making her books scatter.

   "I'm sorry! It was my fault! I---"

   Tidus was surprised. The person he bumped into happened to be someone he knew. She had mismatched eyes and a long tinkling earring.

   "Y-Yuna!!! What are you doing here!!!?"

   Without waiting for more, Tidus stretched out his hand and held Yuna's. He had a firm grip around it and pulled her up to her feet. Yuna eventually stood up and tidied herself up.

   "Tidus! Wh-What a surprise! I never thought I'd see you here!"

   Yuna smiled happily at him. Tidus couldn't help but feel his insides heat up. 

   But Yuna forgot, her books were scattered around the corridor. She blushed slightly from embarrassment and quickly gathered her things.

   "Hold on. Let me help you. It was my fault."

   Tidus also bent down and helped her pick up her books. After all was back to its proper place, Yuna wrapped her arms around her things and looked at Tidus straight into his blue eyes. 

   "Um...thank you..." She said and eventually, she smiled at him.

   Tidus blushed even more. "Nah, you shouldn't thank me. This wouldn't have happened in the first place if I wasn't so careless." Tidus told her. Somehow, he felt himself calm down even for just a little bit.

   "But if it wasn't for your lack of care, then I wouldn't have come across you in the first place." Yuna answered him with a giggle.

   Tidus thought...Yuna was acting strangely cheerful today, just like her cousin Rikku. She wasn't exactly like this last night, when he walked her home...

   "So, where are you supposed to be going?" Yuna asked him, her happy smile still on her face.

   "Well..." Tidus thought for a while. "I'm having Music next and I'm......I'm lost."

   Yuna hastily put her hands behind her back, just a sign of liveliness. "That's where I'm going too..."

   Tidus's eyes faintly widened. Was he hearing right? Did Yuna just say she's headed for Music classes too?

   "How about if we go there together? Since you told me you're lost, maybe I can show you the way."

   She said this in a cheery manner. Tidus found it hard to say "no" so he gladly accepted to walk with her to Music.

   Yuna, with Tidus closely following her from behind, walked along the empty hallways. Tidus was starting to get more and more naive with every step. He had absolutely no idea about this part of the school. He was glad that Yuna was there to show him the way but it felt kind of funny being directed by a girl and all.

   "Say Yuna." Tidus started. "What do we do in Music anyway? I mean, do we have a lot of note-taking to do?"

   "Well, maybe a little." Yuna answered him. "But it's mostly about going up to the front and singing a song that your teacher assigns you to carry out." She informed him.

   Tidus was somewhat taken back. "Sing in front of that many people!?" His mind screamed. "No way! Not in a million years! My voice isn't that good! Man, I'd rather suffer from Auron's Math assignments than make a jackass out of myself in public..."

   Tidus was in deep thought. He never expected that Music classes can be this......embarassing. He wondered...what would Rikku do in a situation like this...?

   He was so deep in thought---

   "Hey Tidus!"

   ---he was already in his own world, forgetting that Yuna was now standing in front of him with a puzzled look on her face.

   "Wh-Wh-What!?" He tripped over his tongue.

   "Are you alright?" She asked, somewhat worried. 

   "Y-Yeah..." Tidus replied. "I was just......thinking of something. I'm fine, really."

   Yuna straightened herself up. "Maybe you think too much."

   "Yeah, I guess. It's been happening a lot lately." Tidus told her.

   Yuna suggested. "You should stop thinking once in a while." She said, her blue earring making that tinkling sound again. "What I meant to say is......you shouldn't think too much."

   She giggled after saying that. Tidus somehow felt himself lighten up.

   "Come on! Let's go or we'll be late!" Yuna called back for she now sprinted ahead of him...

   "This is it, the Music Room." Yuna announced as she opened the door to the classroom.

   As they both stepped inside, Tidus suddenly felt all eyes on him. A small group of girls at the back we're giggling with their mouths behind their hands. Tidus by some means gained some popularity since the incident yesterday at the construction site. Putting his life on the line just to save Yuna from certain death was a very risky thing to do.

   "If it isn't Yuna. You're just in time."

   The teacher sitting on the desk stood up and approached Yuna. "And I see the new student is with you." She said as she turned to look at Tidus from his spiky blonde hair to his yellow and black sneakers. "Do you mind introducing yourself?"

   "I-It's Tidus." He answered uneasily. He could feel all eyes scanning him. He was having that awkward feeling again.

   "Okay Tidus. Now that you've introduced yourself, I am Miss Raine. I will be your instructor in Music for the rest of the year and I expect that you'll enjoy this subject. You and Yuna may take your seats over their."

   Miss Raine is a teacher with long black hair held back with a headband. She also had a kind face which matches her personality.

   She pointed at two vacant chairs near the window. Tidus and Yuna slowly walked to their seats and placed their bags beside their chairs.

   As Miss Raine started to write down some pointers on the board, Tidus leaned towards Yuna and asked her something......

   "Hey Yuna!" He whispered. "So how do Music classes go on? Do we have to jot down something first?"

   Yuna whispered back. "You'll find out soon, don't worry."

   After Miss Raine was finished with the board, she went in front of the class holding a small box.

   "Class," She began. "In this box are pieces of paper with your names on it. Now your names will be chosen randomly. If I happen to take your name out, you will have step up to the front and perform a song that I will assign you to sing."

   Tidus wished he hadn't heard this because the moment he did, he felt even more nervous. He took a sidewards glance at Yuna and to his surprise, she was looking perfectly calm.

   Miss Raine put in her hand in the box....

   Slowly.....very slowly.....she took out a folded piece of paper. Tidus shut his eyes from agitation. He was hoping that he wouldn't be the pick of the week.

   As Miss Raine unfolded it, she read it first before announcing the one who will sing in front. 

   Miss Raine declared the name that she picked who surprisingly turned out to be......

   "Yuna. Will you please step forward?"

   Tidus let out a sigh of relief. He looked around only to see his classmates doing the same. He turned back to look at Yuna......

   Yuna slowly, yet determinedly stood up and walked to the front. Tidus could see her closed hand on her chest. He could also see her taking slow, steady breaths.

   Although she looked pretty confident, Yuna still felt a little uneasy about things. With all of her classmates watching her, it won't be that easy. She felt even uneasier when she knew that Tidus would be listening to her singing...

   "Alright Yuna." Miss Raine began when she finally stepped forward. "I want you to sing _Suteki Dane. I will cooperate with the piano over there." She pointed at an expensive-looking piano at the corner of the room. _

   This is it...Miss Raine sat herself on the piano and positioned her fingers on the keys. 

   Yuna took a deep breath......Miss Raine signaled her that she was about to begin until finally...

   Her voice flowed out gracefully like the wind......

_                   "My heart was swimming in words gathered by the wind..."_

_                                                               ...my voice bounded into a cloud-carried tomorrow..."_

The moment Tidus heard the first few lines, he felt......different somehow...

   He felt like there was something heavenly surrounding him......he couldn't describe it......it was...something else......

_                   "My heart trembled......in the moon-swayed mirror..._

_                                                               ...soft tears spilled with a stream of stars..."_

That feeling was gradually taking over him little by little......moment by moment......time by time....

_                  "Isn't it wonderful......if we could walk holding hands..._

_                                                               ...I'd want to go to your town, to your home..."_

   ...Until at last, he felt himself being taken over by that certain song called _"Suteki Dane..."_

                                     _"......into your arms..."_

Tidus gently closed his eyes and listened on......the song was beautiful...

_                   "I dream of being against your chest..._

_                                            My body in your keeping...disappearing into the evening......"_

He closed his eyes and slowly...yet, tenderly......he felt that he was being drifted into......somewhere else......

                                   _   "It's wonderful, isn't it.....?"_

"Hey!"

   Someone was shaking him lightly by his shoulders.

   "Wake up!"

   Tidus was still shaken so he had no other choice but to get up. He slowly opened his sleepy blue eyes. In front of him, he could see a blurry vision of...

   "Y-Yuna!"

   Tidus immediately stood up from his chair and wheeled around. He was still in the Music Room except that everyone was gone including Miss Raine. There was only himself and Yuna in the room now.

   "You must have fallen asleep after the song. I tried to wake you up but Miss Raine and the others already left." She told him as she gathered her books and wrapped them around her arms.

   Tidus wildly shook his head to get rid of his drowsiness. He actually couldn't believe he fell asleep just because of the song.

   "C'mon, let's go." He said as he swung his bag over his shoulders and led Yuna out of the room.

   Zanarkand High seemed pretty lively today. All the students were either walking down the hallways or just talking happily with one another. But as for Tidus and Yuna, they were also having a fun time chatting. But the fact the he dozed off back in Music was still hard to believe.

   "How long have you been living together with Rikku?" Tidus asked while they were halfway past the Laboratory.

   "Just a few months ago when we started High School." Yuna replied. "Rikku's a very cheerful girl. She's fun to be with, actually. Every morning, she would come running into my room and say "_Yunie, wake up! Rise and shine or you'll miss breakfast!!!"_

   Yuna tried to imitate her younger cousin's light voice and she just let out a small laugh. Tidus chuckled and listened to her go on with her story.

   "Rikku usually cooks every morning. Her favorite has always been blueberry waffles with milk." She told this story in a contented tone.

   Tidus looked down and started to speak. "You're lucky...you get to live with your cousin."

   "But I don't see anything wrong living with Sir Auron." She tried to lighten him up.

   "But it's much worse living with my old man." Tidus took a deep breath. "Too bad he's the only family I have left......my mom......she went ten years ago. I was only seven back then and I didn't have any brothers or sisters......that's why you're lucky you have Rikku as your cousin......and as your family......"

   Tidus wasn't sounding himself that time. He was so far from his typical confident self.

   Yuna didn't know what to say......she never knew that Tidus had such a hard past. She tried to think of words that would brighten up Tidus's mood...

   "I'm sure you'll get used to having Sir Auron as your father." 

   Tidus was astonished from what Yuna said. He knew from the very beginning that he and Auron wouldn't get along well but......why does he have that feeling that those words will come true?

   Yuna spoke once more. "I'm the one who's supposed to say _"You're lucky"._ At least you have Sir Auron as your father figure if I must say. Both my parents are gone......_you're lucky_ you have someone like Sir Auron to take your parents' place......"

   Tidus half wanted to eat his words. When he caught a glance at Yuna's face, he saw that she was cheerless. He felt sympathy burning inside of him...not to mention humiliation.

   "Look..." He quietly said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I brought that topic up. I never knew it would make you sad. I---"

   "No, it's alright." Yuna replied by putting her hand on Tidus's that was on her shoulder. "You don't need to apologize. I'm just glad that you told me a part of you."

   After what seemed like a long time, Tidus let out a warm smile. 

   "Yeah, same here..."

   Tidus and Yuna continued walking to their lockers until they saw a group people running towards them.

   "Tidus! Yunie! Over here."

   Rikku darted towards them and skipped excitedly in front of them. Behind her were Wakka, Lulu and Auron all looking exhausted. Wakka had both hands on his knees, Auron was leaning against a locker fro support and Lulu was breathing hard and fast with one hand on her chest.

   "Rikku..." Lulu looked as though all the air in her was vacuumed out. "Don't you...don't you ever get tired from all this running around...?"

   Rikku ignored her and announced the good news to Tidus. 

   "Guess what! We're gonna have a Blitzball practice this afternoon!" She declared, still skipping around like a kid who just found a new toy. "Durren's our goalkeeper but you're still the midfielder. Wakka and Brother are the two offensives while Jassu and Linna play the defensives!"

   Wakka, who appeared to have regained his breath, stood up and greeted Tidus with a light punch on the shoulder.

   "Meet us and the Abes at the stadium. You know where it is, right? It's just behind the school buildings. You won't have trouble finding it, ya?"

   Auron stepped forward. "Just make sure you don't forget your studies. I don't want to see your test papers plastered with "BLITZ" all over it." 

   Lulu just let out a breath. She was totally not into Blitz thinking that it was only "kid's stuff". She tried to change the topic by coming close to Yuna and giving her a sisterly hug.

   "So Yuna. How did Music classes go?" She asked thoughtfully.

   Yuna gave her a little smile. "They went well, Lulu." 

   All six of them started to talk about...things. Well, many things except for Blitzball. Wakka and Rikku found it hard to refrain from talking about Blitz. They didn't want Lulu to feel left out. Startlingly, Auron also left out school-related matters and made a good conversationalist out of himself. Yuna thought of telling them about Tidus dropping off in Music but she chose not to. She didn't want Tidus to feel embarrassed.

   Surprisingly enough, Tidus didn't talk much. His mind was too clouded to think....

   He tried to stay away from them for a while by walking some distance away from them. He looked at the other direction---

   ---and saw a familiar group of men, all wearing dark leather jackets walking to their direction. Tidus somehow recognized them......he suddenly remembered that he already saw them that morning....in Math class. 

   To add up to his alarm, a blue-haired boy with a spiteful face was leading them.

   "Seymour!!! And his lackeys!!!"

   They all acted insolently, as if they owned the place. Seymour's lackeys viciously shoved the students who were in their way off. One of them was even rude enough to just slap off a girl. Many other students were scared stiff and fled the scene.

   Rikku also noticed them and let out a terrified gasp. She panicked and quickly hid behind Auron. Wakka was also able to make them out and stood protectively in front of Lulu.

   Seymour ordered his minions to stay behind. He had some "business" to take care off with Tidus.

   "So Tidus." He said, his eyes glowing with malice. "We meet again."

   Although he spoke in a formal manner, Tidus _hated it to his very core. Just by the sight of him made his insides burn._

   "What do you want?" Tidus coolly, yet crossly asked him.

   Seymour took a side-step, giving Tidus a clear view of his lackeys.

   "I just wish to introduce my men to you. I suitably call them the _Guados._ Quite a splendid name, isn't it?" He officially informed him though there was a hint of wickedness in his voice.

   "So what if they're called the Guados!!!? I don't give a damn with what you call them..." Tidus countered back at him.

   Seymour looked at loss for words but he didn't show this. Instead, he changed the matter.

   He reached out his hand towards Yuna's face. Yuna fearfully trembled the moment his cold hand fervently caressed her face.

   Tidus couldn't take this any longer....

   "THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO!!!?" 

   That was it. Tidus's rage finally went past its limit. He grabbed Seymour's wrist away from Yuna and furiously slapped it off.

   Seymour looked disgusted but he adeptly disguised it with a cool surface.

   "I was merely examining how......beautiful your girl is."

   As if Seymour didn't hear Tidus's warning, he still reached out his hand to stroke Yuna's face but before he got the chance...

   ...Tidus took hold of Yuna's wrist and pulled her behind him. He will never let Seymour take Yuna...

   "Don't---"

_   He won't let him..._

   "---even---"

_   Not even once..._

   "---think about it..."

   _Or he won't forgive himself...._

Seymour was now infuriated. He turned his back away from Tidus and his friends and walked towards the Guados.

   "Let's go." 

   Before Seymour took a step away from them, he turned to face Tidus and gave him a final note.

   "Let us meet next time."

   "You wish..." Tidus breathed out.

   Minutes passed...

   Wakka, Rikku and Lulu were all looking at Tidus with amazed looks on their faces.

   "Wow..." Rikku quietly said. "I can't believe you were able to do that, Tidus!"

   Tidus's emotions were now from furious to puzzled. "Huh? Do what?"

   Wakka stepped forward and flung his arm around Tidus's neck, putting him in headlock.

   "H-Hey! Lemme go!"

   "Can't you see!?" Wakka happily told him. "You're the first guy I've ever met who had the guts to stand up to Seymour!"

   "Wakka's right." Lulu advanced, a serious and amazed smile on her face. "They're Zanarkand High's most feared bullies. Except for Seymour. He has admirers instead."

   Rikku's eyes moved to Tidus's hand. 

   "Hey Tidus." She said, somewhat innocently. "Um, I was just wondering....how long are you still gonna hold umm...you know, Yunie's hand?"

   Tidus slowly looked at his hand and to his embarrassment, his hand was still holding Yuna's wrist. Tidus blushed and immediately let go of her wrist.

   "I-I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to hold your hand that long! I---"

   Yuna also blushed and turned away from Tidus. The others had a pretty weird reaction about this.

   Rikku was suddenly forming ideas, that sinister smile on her face again. Wakka and Auron both grinned while Lulu showed off a mature sort of excitement.

   "Hey guys," Tidus asked them. He was feeling uncomfortable now. "Look, it-it was an accident. Don't take it seriously. It was no big deal. Everyone makes mistakes!"

   "I-may-not-be-so-sure-about-that!" Rikku cheekily warned them.

   They all left the school building and into the school grounds with Rikku usually prancing ahead. Tidus and Yuna couldn't look at each other in the eye that time....

**Author's Notes:** That chapter was a bit longer that the last two chapters, right? Well, it was purposely written to be that lengthy. Think of it as an apology for the surprisingly long delay. It's the least I can do to make it up to you guys, especially the reviewers.

Again, I'm sorry. I hope you guys will forgive me.


	4. Into the Clear Waters

**Chapter Four:** _Into the Clear Waters_

   Cherry Blossoms....

   They were too common....a far too common sight in the outside school grounds of Zanarkand High, especially when they are being blown by the wind....

   Speaking of the wind, it was a pretty windy afternoon for Rikku, Wakka, Lulu, Auron, Yuna, and Tidus as they were walking down the path between the Cherry Blossom Trees. Blossoms were falling everywhere....probably on the road they were walking on. The whole outside area is surrounded by Zanarkand High's buildings.

   As they walked on, they came nearer and nearer to a great beautiful round fountain located at the very heart of Zanarkand High. In the water, Tidus could see scattered coins everywhere. At the top of the fountain stands a statue of Leviathan, a long serpent that has control over Water. Great amounts of water were sprouting from its mouth. Streaks of water were also sprouting from its fins and from all over its body.

   "Pretty cool, huh?" Rikku said as she ran to the edge of Leviathan's fountain. At least, that's what everyone in Zanarkand High called it, including the teachers.

   "Come sit here!" She gestured her friends to sit on the edges. "We're gonna take our break!"

   Yuna simply nodded her head and sat beside her cousin. Lulu agreed as well and sat on Rikku's other side. Tidus, Wakka, and Auron just refused and stood by the fountain's edges. Somehow, boys want it that way....

   "So, where's the rest of the team?" Tidus asked Wakka.

   "They're probably waiting for us at the stadium by now...." He answered. "They don't mind if we're a few minutes late anyway, ya?"

   Auron plainly remained silent....he could see Rikku pestering Lulu and even Yuna to let her copy their answers for tomorrow's assignments. Lulu irritably rejected and pulled her bag away from Rikku. Yuna kindly refused by telling her younger cousin that it's wrong....

   "Too bad for them, Rikku's hard to get away with." Tidus gladly said to himself as he watched Rikku secretly open Lulu's bag---

   "You wouldn't dare!!!"

   ----Lulu managed to catch Rikku right before she was about to sneak her Math assignment out of her bag.

   Rikku groaned. "Tsk! I was so close too!"  She gave up arguing with Lulu and tried to figure out her own assignment instead.

   Wakka grinned at her. "I guess the poor girl's lost her touch!"

   Rikku glared at Wakka and strode towards him and---

   "OW!"

   ---forcefully stomped his foot with hers. 

   "MEANIE!!!"

   Wakka growled in pain and hopped around with his other foot while holding his foot that Rikku flattened.

   "What was that for!!!?"

   "THAT was for being a meanie!" Rikku shouted back at him, sounding annoyed. 

   Lulu sighed deeply, put her assignment back in her bag, and strode between her two friends.

   "That's enough! Both of you! You're acting childish!" She told off Wakka and Rikku who were both being held back by Tidus and Auron.

   Auron lowered his head and slowly shook it...these kids will never change....

   That afternoon was windy......maybe too windy....

   All of them stayed by Leviathan's Fountain for a few more moments. All Tidus could do was breathe the air blowing the cherry blossoms...that seemed to relax him, even for just a bit. He lightly smiled as he watched Rikku begging Yuna to tell her all the answers to their Math assignment. Yuna simply smiled at her cousin and taught her the basics instead. He noticed that Lulu was sitting alone on the other side of the fountain studying for her test in Chemistry tomorrow.

   Lulu seemed alone...all alone...

   "Hey Lu!"

   Lulu almost jumped the moment Wakka called her name. 

   "What's up? You seem so lonely, ya?" Wakka checked up on her.

   "I-It's nothing..." Lulu answered quietly. "I was just studying for tomorrow's test."

   Rikku immediately glanced at their direction and smirked. Sure, she still wanted to play her game but she's sure either Auron or Tidus would stop her.

   Wakka sat beside Lulu and eventually, they started a good conversation. Surprisingly enough, Lulu seemed to be enjoying herself with Wakka's company, despite her usually serious appearance.

   Tidus wondered...when will be the perfect time to talk to Yuna? 

   "Well..." He thought. "With Rikku and Auron around, it's not gonna be easy."

   He let out a breath as he watched Yuna teaching Rikku how to answer some of Auron's complicated formulas. She was wearing a cheerful smile as Rikku pouted and scratched her head. She couldn't quite get past Auron's assignment.

   He continued staring at her just when---

   "Talk to her."

   ---Auron spoke...it was the last thing Tidus expected him to do.

   "Wh-What!?"

   "Didn't you hear me?"

   "O-Of course I heard you! It's just..."

   "...Rikku?"

   "Yeah!" Tidus was kinda surprised. Even Auron was able to figure it out. "She'll probably start making up ideas once I approach Yuna."

   "Then I'll distract her." Auron told him.

   "A-Auron!? What are you, crazy!? I mean, why do you want me to talk to her anyway?"

   "You wanted to, right?" Auron said in his gruff voice.

   Tidus blushed and looked at the ground. How can Auron possibly know? 

   Although he still couldn't quite believe it, he thought Auron's plan was a good one and finally agreed with it.

   Auron walked towards Yuna and Rikku and told them that he'll handle the rest. Yuna asked Auron if it was alright but he just agreed. Yuna stood up and sat far away from Auron and Rikku but not near Wakka and Lulu who were surprisingly talking about Blitz.

   "I guess she's all alone now..." Tidus' mind said to himself. Auron shot him a glance which said "Now's your chance."

   Tidus took a deep breath and started to walk closer...

   ...closer...

   ...still closer towards her...

   "Hey Tidus! What are you up to---"

   "Keep your eyes on the assignment!!!" Auron managed to distract Rikku back before she could finish with her secret plan.

   Tidus walked on towards her...still taking sideward glances at Rikku and Auron. Miraculously, Rikku was too focused with the assignment. Yuna was just sitting on the edge watching the cherry blossoms fall...all alone...

   She could hear the water flowing out of Leviathan's mouth behind her. It somehow reminded her of the time when Tidus saved her from the accident yesterday...how he grabbed her around her waist...how she collapsed and fell to his arms...how she woke up hugging a stuffed yellow Chocobo doll...

   "Hey Yuna!"

   Yuna almost jumped in her seat in surprise the moment Tidus called her name. He settled himself beside her and sat down.

   "Were you surprised?" Tidus asked her just like he usually does. What Yuna liked about him is the brightness in his voice. Always bright, always warm, just like the sun.

   "I was just..." She began.

   "...Thinking?" Tidus finished for her.

   "Yeah..."

   "About what?" He asked, sounding curious but still kept that warmth.

   Yuna looked slightly away. "Many things..." She didn't want Tidus to know that she was once again swimming in her vast sea of...thoughts...it might be too complicated for him...

   "Well," Tidus replied. "Just like what you said earlier, remember? You shouldn't think too much!" 

   Tidus looked at her and gave her a smile, a smile just as warm as the sun, only warmer. He's right. She is thinking too much. Thinking too much about him.

   "How about if you watch us practice today?" Tidus suggested, still wearing that sunny smile. "You know, just to take your mind off things?"

   Yuna hesitated for a moment then eventually she said "Okay, maybe I will."

   "Got it." Tidus then stood up and stretched himself. 

   Everyone seemed to be finished at that time. Wakka and Lulu already ended their conversation, Rikku already got the hang of Math despite the fact that she secretly sneaked out her calculator when Auron wasn't looking and Tidus and Yuna finally got up from their places from Leviathan's fountain and headed towards the very back of Zanarkand High past the school buildings towards the Sphere pool.

   "Hey Tidus! Yunie! Wait up!"

   Rikku went sprinting towards them like an excited kid. 

   "You guys planning on Blitzing without us?" Wakka asked them as he approached them with Lulu walking behind him.

   Lulu stepped forward. "Unless of course you two want to spend some time _alone_ together." She said this with a little slyness in her voice.

   Tidus went red in the face and couldn't look everyone in the eye, especially Yuna. Yuna also blushed and pretended to tighten her pink sweater around her. They both wished Lulu hadn't said that because Rikku was now parading around singing "Get Happy!". A song which usually listens to in her player back at home.

   Auron kept his solemn outer shell and never said anything. Tidus was thankful for that...

   All six of them set off away from the school grounds and went behind the enormous school buildings where the Sphere pool is located. Rikku went forward and did a number of forward flips, trying to imitate a tackle. Auron and Lulu tried to stop her warning her that she might hit someone but as usual, Rikku didn't listen to them and attempted to mimic an underwater shot this time.

   "Next thing I know, she'll be Sphere shooting Wakka's head off his neck." Tidus chuckled a little as he watched Rikku executing a backflip.

   The sky was already a light color of red when they arrived at the stadium. The Zanarkand Abes were practicing some distance away from the Sphere pool. Jassu, Linna, Durren and Brother were all mastering a few Blitzball techniques.

   Wakka moved towards his teammates and grabbed Tidus by his neck, putting him in headlock.

   "Alright boys!" Wakka announced as he rallied the Abes in front of him. "We're gonna have to practice loads more from now on if we want to beat the Luca Goers this year!" He said this like a determined leader. "Hopefully, with Tidus now in our team, we'll lower the odds winning and take the Cup this year for good!"

   "Yeah..." Linna said with a hint of gloom. "We haven't won a single match against the Luca Goers."

   "Linna's right." Jassu said. "Those Goers are way too unbeatable!"

   "If it wasn't for them, then we'd be bringin' home the Cup a long time ago." Brother stated.

   Tidus was a bit pissed after hearing his teammates think too negatively of the situation. The Zanarkand Abes weren't like this yesterday when he was introduced at the cafeteria.

   "Not when I'm around!" Tidus declared, gleaming with pride. "Those Goers are probably smiling now but not for long!!! Coz this year, us Abes are taking the Cup! We'll send those Goers home crying! We'll change the course of history now, boys! Now our goal is not to do our best! From now on, I want you all to shout VICTORY!!!"

   "VICTORY!!!" The Abes' shouts echoed through the stadium. All of them including Rikku shot their fists into the air and placed their hands on top of each other. They seemed to be pushed by Tidus' words.

   "Let's go out there and kick Goer ass!!!" Durren grabbed the nearest ball and jumped into the Sphere pool.

   Rikku, Brother, Jassu and Linna also took some balls and soared into the Sphere pool. Their strength of mind seemed to be fueled up since hearing Tidus's pep-talk.

   "Hey brother!" Wakka gave Tidus a hard pat on the back. "Nice pump-up session! Even Rikku's dying to sneak off the Cup."

   "That's what you always need to tell them when they need a little motivation. You're the team captain, remember?" Tidus told him. "Now let's get in there and lemme show you the Sphere Shot I was talking about!"

   Tidus and Wakka shortly followed their teammates to the pool.

   Yuna, Lulu and Auron just sat on a nearby bench and watched...

   Tidus removed his dark-blue jacket and handed it to Auron. Rikku then speedily untied her white sweater around her waist and tossed it to Yuna, who was a bit taken aback before she caught it with both hands.

   All seven of them, including Rikku swam around the Sphere pool tossing the ball to each other. They were carrying out a new formation which Wakka called the all-out offense formation, where Jassu and Linna, the players who played the defensives were posted at the center of the pool with the three offensives, Tidus, Wakka and Brother whirled with the midfielder holding the ball into the goal post.

   After all was finished, Wakka signaled them to scatter and passed the ball to Tidus. Their goal this time is to prevent Tidus from getting the ball past the goal post. The Abes were at their ready position, especially Durren who was playing the role of a goalkeeper.

   Wakka indicated his teammates to get ready...

   3...

   2...

   1...

   "BLITZ OFF!!!" Rikku screamed through a mouthful of bubbles.

   Tidus launched himself from his starting position and swam as fast as the wind. Wakka and Brother swam across him and cracked on snatching the ball from Tidus but when turned around, Tidus was just too quick for them.

   Wakka went for a tackle but Tidus evaded it with a sideways flip. Brother went for a second tackle but ended up kicking Wakka's ribs for Tidus shot himself upwards.

   Tidus grinned at them and hurried on to the goal post. Jassu and Linna were now paddling to stop him. It's gonna be harder for him now because he's dealing with the defensives. Wakka and Brother were more on the offensive side.

   Jassu rocketed forward and was just fast enough to give Tidus a kick. Tidus was caught off guard and released the ball.

   "Tidus! Don't let go!" Yuna stood up and screamed.

   Linna easily seized the ball and darted farther from the goal post. Rikku was about to call for a time-out but Tidus gave her look telling her to keep the game going. Rikku guessed that Tidus was just showing off half of his skills.

   Though Linna was fast, Tidus was faster. He just couldn't bring himself to hit her for she's a girl. He never experienced to have a girl in the team back in Okinawa. 

   Tidus decided against resorting to violence and tried to snatch the ball with his own hands...

   Linna dropped her guard as she saw Tidus flipping out of nowhere. Once they were face-to-face, Tidus smirked at her and poked her sides. Linna was disoriented and let go of the ball. Tidus's smirk widened, took the ball and rushed towards the goal post.

   "Go Tidus!" Yuna was now standing up and skipping on the spot. She never usually got this excited in Blitz, even if it was already the real game.

   "Don't let him get away!" Wakka tried to scream but ended up blowing out bubbles instead. Now everyone in the Sphere pool, not counting Rikku, were chasing after him. Tidus swam faster and faster until the goal post with Durren guarding it was just some twenty feet away.

   Tidus wheeled around and saw that he was completely surrounded. He wasted no time in panicking, tossed the ball high and did an underwater backflip.

   "That's..." Yuna trailed off, trying to figure out the name of the move.

   "Sphere Shot!" Lulu shouted. "Wakka told me earlier at Leviathan's fountain!"

   Tidus swiftly and powerfully kicked the ball and sent it flying through the waters. Linna and Jassu rushed forward and tried to get a hand on the ball but it was far too fast that it was their hands that were slapped off instead. The speed of the ball didn't even slow down and rocketed to the goal post.

   Durren was surprised as the ball flew past him. He wasn't able to catch it which only meant...

   "GOAL!!!" Rikku yelled as she did her underwater victory pose. Tidus did a loop and shot his fist through the waters.

   The Abes left the Sphere pool and went back to the benches to dry themselves with some towels Rikku brought along with her.

   "Whoa, man! That was amazing!" Wakka locked his arm around Tidus' neck. "Where'd ya learn that?"

   "Just---made it up---myself." Tidus gasped in-between breaths.

   "Tidus! That was one heck of a shot!" Rikku danced around trying to imitate his Sphere Shot but ended up doing a normal one instead.

   Auron stood up from his seat and walked towards Tidus. "Good work. You've done well."

   Lulu followed Auron from where she was watching and said "Nice move. Even Wakka couldn't have pulled it off."

   "Aw, c'mon Lu!" Wakka grumbled as he faced her. "You know I can also do some pretty good stunts!" He said as he grabbed a ball and ran back to the Sphere pool.

   "Watch me!"

   "I'm coming with you!" Rikku shouted as she ran after him. 

   Wakka jumped into the Sphere, closely trailed by Rikku. He snatched the nearest ball and swam at the very top of the Sphere pool. Rikku whirled after Wakka and went to face him.

   Rikku talked to him in sign language, telling him to Blitz with her one-on-one. Wakka nodded his head with coolness and held his fist in front of him. Rikku did a loop and positioned herself ready.

   Tidus, Yuna, Auron, Lulu and the Abes watched eagerly as Wakka and Rikku looked like they were ready to strike.

   In just 3...

   2...

   1...

   ...BLITZ OFF!

   Wakka hurled himself forward like an arrow with the ball tightly in his hand. Rikku grinned and swam after him. The two chased each other like cat and dog around the Sphere pool.

   Minutes passed...and Wakka wouldn't still give the ball up. He looked back to see Rikku swimming after him. He mouthed out words saying "Can't catch me!" and swam faster. Rikku pouted and propelled herself swiftly.

   Wakka was fast but not fast enough to escape Rikku. Comparing Rikku's speed to Wakka's was like comparing a Chocobo's speed to Auron's. Rikku got fed up with all this swimming around and fired herself and locked her arms around Wakka's neck from behind. She flipped herself to his front and gave him a heel on the stomach.

   Wakka gave off a mouthful of bubbles but still did not let go of the ball. He shook his head and tried to focus back on what was happening. He was so faint from the kick that he just became aware that the goal post was just less than twenty feet from where he was floating.

   He became unaware of the pain and swam with all his strength towards the goal. Rikku chased after him like a Moogle running after a Kupo nut. Wakka tossed the ball upwards and gave it a very powerful blow.

   Rikku's eyes widened and chased after the shooting ball instead. She tried to slap the ball to the other direction but it just missed her hand by inches. All she could do was watch the ball ram to the goal post...

   Tidus and the Abes cheered as Wakka did his underwater victory pose.

   "Beat that!" Wakka shouted while shaking water off his hair.

   Rikku glared at him and just went on drying herself with a towel. She still won't accept the fact that Wakka beat her in Blitzball.

   "You beat me this time but next time, I won't be so easy!" Rikku looked daggers at him.

   Jassu and Durren both gave Wakka a hard and friendly pat on the back. Linna just smiled and gave him a high-five while Brother talked to Rikku about her loss.

   "Just forget about it, Rikku. He's the team captain!" Brother explained to his little sister 

   Rikku seemed to forget that she was displeased about her loss. She made a running jump and dived into Wakka's back.

   "As the loser, my consolation prize is a piggy-back ride!" She bounced on Wakka's back and pestered him to run around.

   "Don't ask me, Rikku...I'm all worn-out, ya?" Wakka weakly and tiredly answered. "Ask Sir Auron. Maybe he can give you a piggy-back ride..."

   Rikku jumped off Wakka's back and hopped into Auron's now. "Give me a piggy-back ride!"

   Auron let out a breath and slowly shook his head. All this piggy-back business was too childish...

   ...but to everyone's surprise, he locked his arms around Rikku's legs and ran around the stadium. Rikku went "Woo-hoo!" and "Yippee!" as Auron scurried all over the sports ground with her hands up in the air.

   Wakka chuckled and a brilliant idea popped in his head. 

   "You want a ride too, Lu?" Wakka offered, a wily smile drawing on his face.

   "What do you mean?" Lulu asked distrustfully. She gazed at Wakka like a dog ready to bite.

   "This is what I mean!" Wakka turned his back to Lulu and offered her a ride. Lulu's eyes widened but eventually accepted and hopped on Wakka's back. She put her arms around his neck and dared to do something she never thought she would in the first place.

   "Hold on tight, Lu!"

   Wakka took off and sprinted around the vicinity of the Sphere pool. Auron, Rikku, and even the Abes stopped to watch them. Tidus and Yuna laughed as they watched Lulu tighten her grip around Wakka's neck as if she was holding on for her dear life.

   "WAKKA!!!" Lulu screamed. "NOT TOO FAST!!!"

   As if Wakka didn't hear her, he dashed faster around the stadium and ran around like a Chocobo set loose.

   "Race them, Sir Auron!" Rikku nudged him seeing that piggy-back riding was a fun pastime. Although it really isn't him, Auron tightened his hold around Rikku's legs scurried as fast as his muscles could carry him.

   "Whoever gets to the exit first wins!" Wakka shouted over Auron and Rikku who were now piggy-back riding parallel to them.

   "You asked for it!" Auron and Rikku simultaneously yelled back.

   Tidus, Yuna, and the rest of the Zanarkand Abes watched blissfully. They never knew Blitzball practices can turn out to be this exciting. They forgot their worry about losing the Blitzball Trophy to the Luca Goers and just watched. Even Brother didn't know who to side with. It's either with Wakka, the Zanarkand Abes' team captain or Rikku, his persistent little sister.

   "Faster! FASTER!!!" Rikku squealed. They were leading the race by one step.

   "Wakka! STOP!!!" Lulu screamed until she was almost squeezing Wakka's neck.

   "Not 'til we win this race!" Wakka happily replied. Just a few more paces and they'll be stepping on the finish line...

   Wakka, who was carrying a very terrified Lulu, and Auron, who was holding a thrilled Rikku raced to the exit. They ran on with Rikku screaming "Faster!!!" and Lulu demanding to be put down. 

   Predicting the outcome of the race was no easy task. Sometimes it was Auron leading and then Wakka would get ahead of him. The sequence went Auron, Wakka, Auron, Wakka...

   Almost there...just a few more steps...and...

   "FINISHED!!!" Rikku roared as Auron braked near the exit. Wakka and Lulu followed a second later. Rikku jumped off Auron's back and did her victory dance. Auron was taking in huge amounts of air while leaning against the wall for support. Wakka finally put Lulu down and took the water battle that Jassu was holding and drank more than half of it with just one gulp. Lulu too was breathing fast, not because of exhaustion but because of shock.

   "Wakka...." Lulu faintly breathed out. "You'll pay for that...." She swore to herself not to accept any piggy-back rides from anyone, especially Wakka.

   Wakka just wiped the sweat off his forehead and grinned at her. "You're just not used to it, Lu!" He said, still sounding self-assured. "Next time, how about a trip to the Sphere Pool? It's gonna be loads of fun, ya?"

   Lulu sighed and shook her head as a sign of rejection. She didn't want to make an embarrassment out of herself again. 

   "Yeah! We won!" Rikku high-fived her teammates and gave Yuna a tight and sisterly hug. They thought that they've already seen Rikku in her happiest state yet. She just wouldn't stop skipping around.

   Lulu was still traumatized after the ride but was finally able to stand on her own two feet. Auron was still exhausted after the race but he must admit, he also enjoyed running around the stadium with Wakka, Rikku and Lulu.

   The first star has already come out of the night sky. It was already dark except for the lights around the stadium. Everyone has already packed and are ready to leave.

   "Same time next week. Like you said before, we're taking the cup this year! Those Goers are goners, ya?" Wakka told his teammates who were all packed. 

   "YEAH!!!" The Abes shouted and shot their fists up in the air.

   After some last minute pep-talks from Wakka, the whole Blitzball team turned and left.

   As Auron and the others are preparing themselves...

   "Um, Tidus?"

   ...Yuna went to Tidus and asked him something.

   "Yeah?" He replied.

   "Do you mind if you take me to the Sphere pool?"

   "H-Huh? What do you mean?" Tidus reacted uneasily. What has she got in her mind?

   "I-I've always wanted to jump into the Sphere pool and swim like I'm just having fun." Yuna said calmly. "It's just that I...I can't---"

   "---swim?"

   Yuna blushed slightly and nodded. "Y-Yes...that's right. So is it alright if you just...you know, take me to the Sphere pool?" She asked timidly. Hearing Rikku's stories about her Blitzball games already got past her curiosity.

   Tidus was surprised but agreed as well. "Sure, why not?"

   Yuna smiled sweetly at him, her blue and green eyes showing that gentle thanks. Tidus smiled back at her and grabbed the nearest ball.

   "You two!" Auron called after them. "We're leaving. Aren't you ready yet?"

   "It's already dark. Are you sure you still want to stay?" Lulu asked.

   "You guys can go on ahead!" Tidus replied. "I'm just gonna show Yuna around the Sphere pool!"

   Rikku ran back to them and said something. "Just be sure you walk Yunie home!"

   "And make sure you come back safely." Auron added.

   Yuna gave her head a little nod and bid them farewell. "We will."

   Auron, Wakka, Lulu and Rikku already left the huge buildings of Zanarkand High and made their way home. There was no one else in the stadium except for the two of them.

   "Let's go!" Tidus ran ahead but before he jumped into the Sphere pool, he drained out some of the water and left the top part of the pool waterless so that they can swim back to the surface for some air in case Yuna couldn't hold her breath any longer.

   "You'll need to take your sweater off." Tidus told her as he removed his dark-blue jacket.

   Yuna just did what Tidus told her to do took off her pink sweater. Tidus the led her to the very edge of the Sphere pool and started giving her some tips.

   I'll jump first into the pool." He told her as she was listening to his every word. "When I give the signal, I want you to make a running jump and leap into the pool! Got all that?"

   "Yes." Yuna nodded happily.

   Tidus continued. "Once you're in the pool, just hold on to me and I'll do the rest."

   "Okay."

   "Alright!" Tidus then positioned himself some distance away from the Sphere pool. After a few seconds, he took off and darted towards the Sphere followed by a leap. Next thing he knew, he splashed himself through the waters and drifted into the blue world...

   He signaled Yuna to jump into the Sphere pool. Yuna agreed and got herself ready-----she ran as fast as she could to the Sphere pool and splashed herself to the clear waters.

   The moment she found herself floating in the waters, she panicked and tried to paddle her way to Tidus. She couldn't hold her breath for long. Even worse, she can't swim. Tidus was immediately troubled and flung his arms around her waist. Yuna clung onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

   Tidus wrapped one arm around her waist and used his other arm to swim upwards to the surface. Yuna held on not wanting to drown---

   _SPLASH!_

   Tidus emerged above the surface of the water. He and Yuna were now floating at the top, waterless part of the Sphere pool. It didn't take Tidus long to catch his breath but Yuna was inhaling and exhaling on his chest, not aware that her arms were still around his neck.

   "Are you alright?" Tidus asked her, still unmindful that he was holding her around her waist.

   "I'm fine." Yuna replied, still breathing hard and fast.

   Tidus looked at her as she was still catching her breath. What interested him that she was so inexperienced and so......_delicate_. It feels as though he was holding an angel in his arms......it felt so....heavenly..... 

    Yuna, still unconscious of who's holding her, finally regained her breath and without thinking, she held on to him around his neck, keeping a tight grip and not wanting to be let go. She didn't want to be released under the water anymore....she just wanted to be somewhere safe. Somehow, she felt kind of protected.... 

   They were both unaware....unaware that there was just the two of them....unaware that they were holding each other......and unaware that they 

were slowly....slowly....slowly descending into the blue water into the core of the Sphere pool......

    She calmed down now and looked at Tidus' gentle blue eyes. They somehow reminded her of the clear waters they were gliding over now. Tidus also stared at her mismatched eyes.....not knowing that his arms were slowly tightening around her, bringing her closer to him. He could feel her breathing now....feel it on his chest....feel it around him...feel it---

   ---Large bubbles burst out of Yuna's mouth. Tidus forgot. They _were _underwater. How could he let it slip off his mind? He tightened one arm around her waist and swam as fast as he could out of the Sphere pool. After whirling through the blue waters, Tidus and Yuna shot out of the Sphere and landed on all fours some distance from the Sphere pool....

   "Are you alright!?" Tidus checked her without delay. 

   "Dammit!" Tidus' mind screamed at himself. "How could I just let her stay underwater for so long!!!? She could've drowned! If something horrible happens to her then it's gonna be all my fault!!! All my damn fault!!! I shouldn't have......I shouldn't have stared at her for so long......"

   Tidus finally realized why all this happened in the first place. He was....carried away....carried away by...

   "Well, whatever it is, I'm glad she's safe now." He gladly said to himself.

   Tidus took a towel and dried himself up. "Here." He took another one and handed it to Yuna. She took it and also dried herself up. 

   "Look." Tidus started. "I-I'm sorry about....back there...at the Sphere pool. I---" He stopped. He couldn't think of anything else to say. He looked away, too ashamed look at her in the eye.

    But Yuna responded differently. Instead, she smiled and looked at him straight in his eyes. "No, you don't need to apologize. I even want to thank you instead..."

   "Huh? For what?"

   "For taking me to the Sphere pool. What I meant was....thanks...."

   Yuna then tidied herself up and put her sweater back on. Tidus was all set as well and wore his jacket back on. He then led himself and Yuna out of the stadium and back to their homes. After all, it was already past eight that time....

   That night...it was almost like the same as last night's. The air was chilly and the whole area was windy. Spiralis has always been a cold place to live in. Its afternoons were breezy but the nights are even breezier now that Tidus is walking Yuna home again.

   Neither said anything to each other since they left Zanarkand High's buildings. They were probably too busy being clouded up by their own thoughts....

   "Man, I wonder what made me hold her like that? Or maybe I was just unable to control myself that time.....well either way, it was pretty nice holding her but I can't get carried away next time."

   Tidus thought. It was the only thing he could right now...

   "The funny thing, what made me so relaxed when I looked at her eyes? Her eyes made me forget everything! I even forgot that we were underwater and all....there's something about those eyes....not just her eyes, there was something about her...."

   Not surprisingly, Yuna was also lost in her own thoughts.

   "It was so sweet of him to take me to the Sphere pool. But what I liked about that moment is that I felt like all my troubles were gone. I just don't understand it myself...whenever I'm around him, I feel....safe. I feel like there's no one around to harm me or anything..."

   Right now, Yuna has just some questions that need to be answered in her head.

   "But the really strange thing is......when we were underwater, I forgot about breathing. I felt like I could live on in the Sphere pool when I looked at his eyes. His eyes made me forget everything..."

   All this thinking went on until they just realized that they absent-mindedly walked past Yuna's home.

   "We're here." Tidus told her.

   Yuna looked briefly at her home and smiled. She took a deep breath and turned to look at Tidus.

   "Um, thank you." She said thoughtfully. "Thanks for walking me home again. I really appreciate it."

   Tidus just smiled back at her and put a hand on her shoulder. Yuna touched his hand and closed her eyes, trying to feel his tender touch.

   After a fleeting moment, Yuna snapped back to reality and let go of his hand. She blushed and tried to hide the awkwardness as much as she could by knocking on their front door.

   But before she did, she looked back one more time...

   "Good night....and....sweet dreams...."

   "Yeah....you too...."

   After one last look, Tidus turned and made his way back home....

   Yuna knocked on the door. It opened later and she was greeted by her vibrant cousin.

   "YUNIE!!!"

   Rikku leapt and threw her arms around Yuna's neck. "I'm so glad you're home now, Yunie! Come inside! Your dinner's getting cold."

   She led her older cousin to their table and took their places. Rikku went to the kitchen first to make herself a nice warm cup of hot chocolate. Then she sat down across Yuna on their small table.

   "So Yunie!" She began. "How was your trip to the Sphere pool?"

   Yuna sighed deeply after sipping her soup. "They went well, Rikku."

   After their eating their supper, Yuna and Rikku got themselves ready for bed and went to their rooms.

   "I'm tired!" Rikku said as she stretched herself. "Good night, Yunie! We've got a big day ahead of us!" She let out a yawn and started to crawl to her bed but before she even lifted her bed covers, Yuna stepped closer and pulled her into a sisterly hug.

   "Thank you, Rikku." Yuna whispered as she stroke her hair. "Thanks for everything. I'm so grateful to have you as my cousin."

   "Y-Yunie!" Rikku was slightly surprised at first but her heart softened and hugged her dear cousin back. After all, they were one family....she was the only family Yuna had left after her parents went.

   Tidus went to his room and changed to his usual night-wear. It was a pretty tiring day for him and he at least wanted a good night's rest.

   "Be up early tomorrow, Tidus." Auron reminded him as he lay on his bed. "I don't want you to arrive late in my class again."

   "No worries, Auron!" He answered back. "I can handle myself tomorrow! G'night!" He stretched himself to free from the stiffness and closed the door behind him.

   Auron was astonished. Did Tidus just say "G'night"? He doesn't usually bid him good night because if he does, it's normally followed with "old man". Auron wondered...why is Tidus being cheerful? 

   "I guess I was wrong this morning..." Auron said to himself. "The boy has changed..."

   Tidus lied on his bed and closed his eyes. He relaxed himself to his sleepiness and tried to reach out for his Chocobo doll. He got it and gave it a tight hug as he drifted to sleep. He wondered when will be the next time he'll be gliding through the clear waters again...

**To the Reviewers: **Man, I really don't know what to say. Your reviews mean a lot to me! The Keyblade Master reads them over and over and over again! They're all so fun to read! It's just frustrating that I can't read the bios of the anonymous reviewers!

Again, your reviews ROCK!!! But they'll rock even more when you make them longer! Well, you don't have to if you don't want to but give it a shot! Sora loves long reviews!

**To Miyu: **Yo! So you fell in love with my fic just from reading the summary! Well, I'm glad you liked it coz I was planning to change it. So anyway, thanks for reviewing this story! Hope you loved this chapter although it's gonna be a long while before I post the fifth one.

**P.S. **I hope I didn't take long enough.


	5. Powerful Memories

**Chapter Five:** _Powerful Memories_

   Spiralis...within it are swirls of wind blowing through the streets...

   It has become common to Tidus. This city is a cold place to live in even during summer. Who knows how cold it's gonna be when winter comes. But the breezy climate won't make a difference to the students of Zanarkand High.

   Some days passed...and surprisingly enough, neither Seymour nor his cronies were showing up but Rikku once caught them pushing a few freshmen around. Zanarkand High will never change too, he guessed.

   It was almost morning, and the cold wind blew harder than ever. Tidus got up sleepily on a cloudy, yet bright Saturday. For once, there will be no grueling Math assignments, no song number in Music class, no Rikku pestering Lulu for answers and most of all, no Seymour coming out of nowhere just to caress Yuan's face...

   "Get up, Tidus!" His father figure's voice said from behind the door. 

   "Coming' Auron!" He replied as got off his bed.

   After he got dressed, Tidus walked to the living room in his warmest clothes yet. He saw Auron standing in the middle of the room all dressed up but still wearing that long red trench coat.

   "Uh...why are you dressed like we're going somewhere?" Tidus curiously asked.

   "Because we ARE going somewhere." Auron countered as if it was the most obvious answer. 

   "Huh!?" Tidus reacted in a surprised tone. "Y-You gotta be kidding around!"

   "But I'm NOT kidding around." Auron answered almost impatiently. "We're doing the grocery today and you are to help me carry the bags." He told him as if no questions were to be asked.

   Although Tidus looked as though he'd rather stay home and just relax, he just saw this eye to eye and just forgot about arguing with Auron. He never won an argument with his father figure before...not once...

   "Alright Auron, I'll help you out. Even a grouchy old man like you won't manage alone." Tidus said rather optimistically, ignoring Auron's gruff "Hmph!"

   As they stepped out of their home, it felt like a breezy new world. Clouds were everywhere in the sky and the sun was hardly able to shine through the vast whiteness. Tidus could feel the strong wind blowing past him.

   "Where are we going anyway?" Tidus asked while they were both walking alone the streets which were now populated with more people.

   "Spiralicore." Auron answered expressionlessly.

   "Huh!? And---where's that?"

   Auron sighed, as if he was aggravated and decided to give Tidus a short lecture. "It's the city's shopping center. Don't tell me that you haven't been exploring Spiralis since we moved here." 

   "But with that surprisingly early curfew, how can I possibly have time to just take a little stroll around the park?" Tidus countered back. For once, he made Auron speechless during another argument. Tidus grinned at himself for this and put his arms behind his head as they walked.

   Tidus wondered...once they get to Spiralicore, what would Auron probably purchase? He hasn't been to Spiralicore before but he was sure that it would be larger and more enormous than all the shopping malls he has been to back in Okinawa. Sure, he was no country boy but he can't help but feel excited. 

   "I wonder what Wakka and the others are doing right now?" Tidus asked himself as they were now walking through the people-filled streets. Twice, he almost collided with a car just because he wasn't looking at where he was going. Perhaps Yuna's right. He is thinking too much...

   Not for the first time that morning, Tidus just found himself walking absent-mindedly in one direction before realizing that Auron was already walking to the opposite course. 

   "Maybe you lacked sleep last night." Auron commented his forgetfulness.

   Spiralicore was huge---almost twice as large as Luca University. As they stepped into the brightly colored halls, Tidus began to wheel around looking at every store sign. 

   "Hey Auron! Let's look around for a bit!" Tidus said as he continued glancing through neon signs. 

   "After we get what we need, that's when you can do whatever you want." Auron told him as he marched past a store selling various stuffed dolls like Chocobos and Moogles. Tidus agreed on this and just followed him to the grocery section...

   "So what's on your list?" Tidus looked over Auron's shoulder and saw that it was full of the usual stuff they have in their fridge and in their kitchen. The list was long. It looked like they would have to stroll around the whole grocery area to get everything on the list.

   Auron pocketed the list and pulled a shopping cart. After that, he took out his list again and tore it in half.

   "Here." He said as he handed the other half to Tidus. "We're going to have to take separate ways. You take everything on this part of the list and meet me at counter 14 once you're done." He finished before pushing the cart on the aisle full of dairy products.

   "Gotcha!" 

   Tidus pushed a cart with him and headed for the other end of the grocery section. 

   "So what does Auron have in his list?" He unfolded it and read it from top to bottom. "Let's see.....there are some sashimi here and a handful of tofu. Not to mention some spring rolls and----WAITAMINIT!!!"

   There was _Sake written in large letters on the list._

   "Auron should've handed me the other half! How should I know which to buy!!!?" Tidus asked himself. He never tasted sake before, not once. It was because Auron wouldn't let him, not even a single sip, even if he's almost of age.

   After arguing with himself on what to buy or where to go, Tidus pocketed the list and went for the things he needed first. He passed by the aisle with cartons of milk among the shelves. He stopped, checked the list and took two boxes of milk. After that, he pushed the cart towards the next aisle and got two dozen eggs.

  Tidus has been asking himself lately...why does Auron need this much on their list? There's only two of them at home. They don't even have any relatives here in Spiralis. It may seem lonely with just the two of them eating dinner or just watching TV every night but fortunately, he found some good friends like Wakka and Rikku to keep them company.

   "So what's left?" Tidus took out the list one more time and scanned it. "I guess I got all of them." 

   His cart was already half-full but it didn't seem enough. 

   "Maybe I oughta look around for a bit more." He said to himself. He turned the cart sideways and walked down an aisle with some interesting jars displayed on the shelves. They were interesting, alright. Lines and lines of jams in assorted flavors and colors were visible through the rows. Tidus remembered Yuna saying the other day that Rikku loves blueberry waffles for breakfast every morning.

   "Nah, Auron wouldn't mind if I take a jar or two." He took two jars of blueberry jam and put them in the cart.

   He walked around for a little more and found an aisle with nothing but chocolates. Remembering Rikku's craving for chocolate muffins, he laughed to himself while picturing Rikku filling her cart with piles of chocolate bars.

   He finally stopped imagining things and took a couple of bars. Lulu told him once that it was good for the heart.

   "That's right!" Tidus could internally hear Wakka's voice from nowhere but his mind. "It can help pump you up if you're feeling romantic!"

   Tidus stared at the chocolate bar he was holding..."Romantic, huh?" It was a word that he never expected Wakka to say. Wakka wasn't that kind of guy. Maybe his most recent conversation with Lulu sort of stirred him a little.

   He eventually removed his eyes from the bar of chocolate in his hand and looked at all the other chocolates displayed on the shelves. There was a wide variety of it. Ones shaped like Chocobos, some of them shaped like Moombas. Even Malboros played a big part in appearing in chocolate wrappers.

   There was a certain brand that caught his attention. Small wrappers with "_Moogle Drop"_ printed on it were scattered among a single rack. He took one and looked at.

   "They must be shaped like Moogles from how they look like....

   _But what would Yuna like...? There are a lot to choose from..."_

Now that he was clueless about all this, he just took a handful of Moogle Drops and placed them all in his cart.

   "I'll just find something else for Yuna later. Something that she'll probably like..."

   Auron was getting more and more impatient with every passing minute.

   "Where has that boy gone off to now?" Auron checked his watch. "He should be here about half an hour ago."

   He was standing a few feet from counter 14, where Tidus is supposed to be meeting up with him. Tidus can't have just run off somewhere not with his cart full of half his grocery list.

   Auron looked at his watch again.

   "He's late."

   He got fed up of waiting and searched the nearest aisles.

   "Been looking for me, old man?" Tidus suddenly turned up from behind his father figure with his cart full of some items not on the list.

   Auron sighed irritably. "Where have you been? And where's my sake?"

   "Couldn't find them." Tidus lied. He scratched the back of his head and looked at the floor. "Besides, how should I know which to buy? There are varieties beyond varieties of sake, Auron." He reasoned out.

   Auron just let out a disappointed breath and pushed his cart towards counter 14. Tidus followed by pushing his cart and placing it behind Auron's and waited for the cashier to punch them in.

   The line was long...they had to wait for a quarter of an hour for their turn. Tidus was starting to get restless. He couldn't wait another minute to explore the rest of Spiralicore. On his way to the grocery section, he saw a store with the sign that says "_The __Chocobo__Forest__" on top of it. Just by glancing at the shelves, Tidus figured out that it was probably selling stuffed Chocobo dolls. Some action figures in the form of Iron Giants and Malboros even caught his eyes._

   "Finished!" said the cashier inputting their purchases on the computer. "Thank you for shopping with us!"

   "Yeah, anytime." Tidus replied to the cashier who had short black hair. There was "Kisaragi" written on her name tag. From her appearance, she looked like a spunky teenager working part-time as a cashier.         

   Tidus was right---Auron wasn't a light shopper. He never knew that they will end up carrying six bags all the way back to their apartment which can be a drag. Each bag was pretty heavy.

   "Next time you wanna go shopping, don't even think about asking me out..." Tidus managed to breathe out while carrying some of the bags. He was starting to get sweaty and exhausted every minute.

   "It's not shopping. It was doing the grocery. Or do I need to give you another lecture about the main difference between shopping and---"

   "Skip the lectures, old man!" Tidus managed to interrupt. "Just looking at your complicated Math formulas can tear a brain muscle! I'm just glad you didn't put Rikku in a state of shock!" He laughed out, forgetting the unbelievably heavy weight he was carrying.

   Auron simply smiled back, something that he doesn't usually respond with. Most of the time, he would glare at Tidus and let out a gruff "Hmph!". From the point of view of other people, they looked like a compatible father and son although Tidus and Auron themselves weren't able to realize it.

   "Hey..." Tidus began. "...what next after this?"

   They stopped at the middle of the sidewalk to take a short break, and to have a heart-to-heart talk.

   "If you want to, we can go back to Spiralicore and look around." Auron said with a fatherly smile. "I've come across a few stores that sell quality sake when we were on our way to the grocery section. I think it had a sign that says _Masamune across the entrance."_

   "Yeah..." Tidus replied rather heavily. "If only those grocery bags weren't too weighty. I was planning on checking out _Melodies of Life."_

   "And what's that?" Auron asked with a hint of mature curiosity. 

   "It's kind of a shop that sells CD's" Tidus informed him. It was fun just looking around Spiralicore. "We're kinda short on good CD's, you know? How about if we add some to our collection? Our player's been unused for quite a while now."

   Auron took a deep breath before answering. "Suit yourself. Just go wherever you like. We'll meet up at a certain place after you're done..."

   "Alright!!!" Tidus shouted out in the middle of the crowded street. "You can be cool sometimes, Auron!" He complimented his father figure. "Well, despite your status as an old man!" 

   "And so are you, little boy." Auron contradicted him. He just let out a hearty chuckle as Tidus began yelling back.

   "I'm not a little boy anymore, Auron! I'm all grown-up now!" Tidus spat. He doesn't want to be called a little boy anymore. But despite his reaction, he gave Auron sort of a friendly pat on the back and then ran ahead with those heavy bags in his hands.

   "Come and get me, old man!"

   Laughing out loud, Tidus ran faster ahead into the streets with Auron trailing closely behind. Tidus ran on until he was already going through across the street back to their apartment in the usual street. Surprisingly, Auron caught up with him two seconds earlier than Tidus has accumulated. 

   They both arrived at their doorstep with breaths short and six heavy grocery bags. Although both of them are tired and exhausted from chasing each other through the city streets, Tidus and Auron still had all the fun they wanted and began to unpack the items on their list and stored them in the fridge and some other containers in the kitchen.

   After all was in place, Tidus and Auron left the house once more and made their way back to Spiralicore...

   Spiralicore was still lively even on a cold day like this. Lots of people were walking, glancing at the aisles, or just shopping. At the very center of Spiralicore, there stands a fountain with multi-colored lights under the water. It was beautiful and eye-catching but not as huge as Leviathan's fountain back in Zanarkand High. But despite its physical features, it was still the perfect place to take a break between shopping marathons.

   "We'll meet here after we've completed our itinerary." Auron said as they were standing by the fountain's edges. "I'm headed for _Masamune _at the opposite end of the mall."

   "And wacha gonna do there?" Tidus asked curiously.

   "To purchase a jar of sake for myself. Why else would I go there?" Auron explained. He sounded as if he was stating the obvious.

   Tidus just kept quiet and put his hands in his pockets. "Oh, right!"

   He turned and faced the other direction already eager to buy a CD or two from _Melodies of Life_. He said goodbye to Auron by waving his hand and started making his way to that CD store.

   "I just hope I don't get lost."

   As he walked on, there were various of other shops that caught his eyes. He once again paced across _The Chocobo Forest and examined the Chocobos, Moogles, and even some oversized Shoopufs displayed on the shelves. Even if some of the mellow Chocobos were sort of cute and cuddly, nothing, not even the most expensive Fat Chocobo could ever replace his Chocobo doll that his mom gave him ten years ago..._

_   "Mom..." _

  Tidus quietly and painfully blurted out as he touched the nearest stuffed Chocobo with his hand. Its soft feathers brought back tender memories of his mom. How she would cuddle and sing to him every time his dad yelled at him.

   One of the final moments he had with his mom was one of the happiest in his life. At that time, it was only a week before they just found out that his mom had an incurable disease. He could never forget that very day when he first hugged his stuffed Chocobo doll.

  _"Wow! Thanks mom!"_

_   Tidus blurted out as he snatched the Chocobo doll with both arms. His mom has just given him a brand new stuffed animal since Jecht yelled at him again for being a loser. His father's attitude toward him will __nev__er change..._

_   "Just forget about what your dad said." She sweetly told him as she pulled her sun-bleached son into a motherly hug. "Did you like it?"_

_   "Of course I do, mom!" Tidus ecstatically replied. He was so happy with his Chocobo that he won't stop skipping around. "Can he sleep with me tonight, mom? Can he, pleeeeaaasee?" Tidus begged his mom, almost giving her puppy-dog eyes._

_   His mom just gave him a warm smile and patted her son on his head. "Sure you can, honey. But does he want to?"_

_   "He wants to, mom!" Wee little Tidus hugged it tighter and cuddled it. "He'll sleep in my bed! And then, maybe you can read us a bedtime story or two! Tell us again about that hardcore Blitzer! The one even dad can't match up with!"_

_   "Alright, dear." She ruffled up his messy blonde hair and carried him to bed. As she lifted the bed sheets to tuck Tidus in, she stood up and walked to the switch and was about to turn off the lights until Tidus got out of bed and rushed to grab his mom's arm._

_   "Mommy! Don't turn off the lights! Choco is scared!"_

_   His mom now had a look of puzzlement on her face._

_   "Choco? Who's that?"_

_   Tidus looked at the floor and held his Chocobo closer to his chest. "It's what I decided to call him." He said as he hid Choco's face under his arm. "Besides, I'm scared too! Choco and I hate the dark!" Tidus' young face looked as though he was begging. "Please mommy, leave the lights on! Or Choco and I won't be able to sleep tight!"_

_   Tidus' mom giggled and lightly pinched his cheek. "You silly little scardey-cat! Alright, then. I'll let you sleep with the lights on." She carried Tidus to bed the second time that night and sat on the bedside as she kept an arm around her son._

_   His mom began telling him the exciting Blitzball Tournaments of Tidus' favorite Blitz team. Tidus __gaspe__d, hid under his blankets and hugged Choco tighter as his mom told the story..._

_    ...mom was a very good story-teller...he __wis__hed that mom would put him to sleep every night like this..._

_   Just a few minutes before __midnight__, mom finished with the story and kissed Tidus on the cheek, who was now fast asleep with his arm around Choco and the other one holding his mom's hand._

_   "Good night, honey...sweet dreams..."_

_   She was about to free her hand from his limp grasp but Tidus let out a small whimper and tightened his hold around his mom's arm._

_   "Mommy...don't go...I...want...you...here...with...me..."_

_   She smiled and stroke his hair. Tidus must be talking in his sleep again. She leaned closer to his young, innocent face and began to whisper words she believed only Tidus could hear._

_   "Don't worry, honey. I'll always be right by your side."_

_   A gentle smile formed on her face as she continued to stroke Tidus' blonde hair._

_   "I'll __nev__er ever leave you, Tidus. You're my whole world to me. I'm always right here with you."_

_   Something sparkly came down from her eyes to Tidus' face. His mom was crying...she knew that she wouldn't be staying in this world for long now. She had kept in unknown to Tidus and Jecht she was sick...and she was dying..._

_   She couldn't hold her tears back any longer. There was just too much pain in them. With her face now sparkled in tears, she brought Tidus into a tight hug and wept on his clothes._

_   "I love you, Tidus! You don't know how great my love for you is! I just __wis__h you knew how much I love you. I may __nev__er get another chance to say this to you again. All I can do now is promise that even if I'm gone, I'll __nev__er ever leave you. I will always be by your side."_

_   After shedding the last tear, she finally let go of his son and kissed his forehead for the final time..._

"Why did you have to go, mom?"

   It was a perfect coincidence that no one was around _the __Chocobo__Forest__. There were tears running down his face, and all these tears were brought only by memories. He never knew memories could be that powerful. Powerful enough to reveal even the most painful moments._

   _I will always be by your side..._

"Mom...?"

   Tidus immediately wheeled around but saw nothing but Chocobos and Moogles lined along the shelves. He could've sworn that he heard his mom's voice. Well, maybe she isn't here but she has to be somewhere...

   "Was that you...?"

   Tidus kicked himself mentally. He was just imagining things---another powerful kind of manipulation that memories can make you do. He knew that his mom was no longer here and that he didn't need anymore convincing....

   ...but maybe his mom was living somewhere...somewhere inside of him...somewhere...a place like his heart... 

   Tidus left _the __Chocobo__Forest and headed for __Melodies of Life. It was still unbelievable that he let out his sentimental self back there. He loved his mom so much that losing her was as painful and unbearable as losing his own life. He could never erase the hugs and lullabies that he had when Mom was still there..._

   Thinking can be confusing, sometimes. Thinking can even make you lose your mind. Tidus kept on walking...and thinking that he absent-mindedly strode past _Melodies of Life._

Tidus wiped away the tears that were left in his eyes and took a deep breath. The shop was as interesting as it looks. Lights in soft purple forming the words _"Melodies of Life"_ flashed across the top of the entrance. As he stepped inside, bright-colored neon-lights flashed throughout the shop. 

   "Wow, cool place."

   Tidus looked around the shelves. _Get Happy! was playing in the sound system that can be heard throughout _Melodies of Life_. Tidus remembered that song for Rikku sang it when they were on their way to the Blitzball stadium that afternoon._

   "Huh? What's this?"

   A certain album caught his attention. _"Suteki Dane...?" was labeled on the front cover. There was a colorful logo of a girl waving her staff as if she was dancing on water. The waves swirled gracefully around her which looked nice with the multi-colored design._

   "Kind of reminds me of Yuna." He said to himself as he stared at the logo for a little longer.

   He flipped it over and read the tracks available on the CD. There was _Go Dream. _Unlike most of the songs, this was a rock kind of song. Next to the first track was _Feel (remix version). Tidus guessed that the original version was a bit boring to listen to, that's why they recorded the remix version instead. Below that was written __Endless Love Endless Road__. This seemed to be a duet. _

   "Sounds fun!" Tidus let out an amazed whistle as he read the rest of the tracks.

   Next to the previous tracks were _Otsu__ki-sama, a sad and gentle song, and __Pure Heart,  sort of a vocalized version of a song Tidus heard somewhere. _

   Other tracks were _After Tears, a sweet song which sings about happiness. __A Ray of Hope, which is much like __Go Dream except that this song is composed of techno beats instead of rock tunes. There was another duet which was _And On We Go. _It wasn't a romantic kind of song since it talks more on adventure._

   He read on. The songs were becoming more and more interesting. There was _All The Way_. Unlike _Endless Love Endless Road _and _And On We Go, this song was a trio. Tidus wondered whether Rikku also plays this in her player. It sounded nice. Next to the last track was a song called _Get Happy!, _Rikku's favorite song. She always sang or hummed it everywhere she went. After all, it was a very jumpy and happy song, pretty much like her._

   Finally, the last song on the list was the one he would never ever forget. _Suteki Dane was written at the very last. But to Tidus, this was gonna be the best and the most beautiful song in the album. He could never forget the time when Yuna sang it like an angel the other day, how she made the words flow out of her mouth...how the song brought him to a place not here but somewhere else. He could never ever forget _Suteki Dane---__

"Excuse me."

   Tidus jumped slightly the moment someone called him. He turned and saw a girl dressed in a red uniform. She had long black hair with the tips separated.

   "Excuse me but, were you going to purchase this CD?" She asked politely.

   "Uh...yeah, I-I was!" Tidus uneasily answered. All this thinking has become a common basis now. He wondered...what got him into the habit of thinking? Yuna is right. He IS thinking too much.

   Tidus snapped back to reality and faced the girl again. "I'm just gonna---take this to the counter and pay for it, Miss uh...Lockhart!" Tidus said after looking at her nametag pinned on to her chest. He made his way to the counter and slid in his brand new CD. Now he was too excited to run back home and play _"Suteki Dane...?" _in his player. He forgot about exploring the rest of Spiralicore. Now the only thing in his mind was to listen to all the songs, especially _Suteki Dane._

Tidus left _Melodies of Life a few minutes after doing some last-minute shopping. While walking, he always took glances at his CD. He was so anxious that he read and re-read all the tracks. But the only track that he couldn't get his eyes off is _Suteki Dane_. He just couldn't get the melody out of his head! Even more amazing, he can't get __Yuna out of his head! The song perfectly reminded him of her gentle face and her blue and green eyes._

   "Dammit! I just can't stop thinking about her!"

   He began to reminisce about those moments that night, in the Sphere pool...

   "I held her...but she didn't slap me off. She didn't even hold back...."

   He took a deep breath. He was even unaware that he had stopped in his tracks. He closed his eyes and began to think.

   "Why didn't she pull away? Was it because she was scared that I'd let go of her and let her drown? Yeah, that was probably it.... But....she didn't have to hold on to me around my neck..."

   Is he just being hysterical?

   "Yuna..."

   Unconsciously, he slowly touched his neck and let out a breath. Another wonderful moment he would never forget. His eyes were still closed and they never opened for quite a while. He went on dreaming his fantasy as if he was actually holding Yuna in his arms...

   "Hey man!" Someone said from behind him followed with a hand on the shoulder.

   Tidus swiftly and quickly opened his eyes and turned around. 

   "W-WAKKA! WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!!?"

   "What am I doing here? Well, I should be asking you the same question, brudda. What were you doing just standing there and touching your neck? Maybe you're just pretty beat up, ya?"

   Tidus face turned red and looked away. He was too embarrassed to face his best friend after those events. 

   "What's that you're holding?" Wakka asked, looking at recently bought CD Tidus had in his hand.

   "Uh...it's a new CD." Tidus answered. His head was still down from embarrassment.

   Wakka looked at him skeptically and snatched the CD from his hands.

   "H-Hey! Give that back!"

   "Not 'til I see it!" Wakka cheekily answered. He read all of the tracks. There was a look of twisted amazement on his face, something that Wakka doesn't usually wear on his face.

   "Whoa!" Wakka blurted out, sounding surprised. "You never told me you listen to mellow music! Just look at all the songs listed! _Feel, __Endless Love Endless Road__, Otsuki-sama, Pure Heart, and even _Suteki Dane! _Why were you hiding it from me all along!? You can just tell me anytime that you're a very sentimental guy!"_

   Tidus would willingly give up his Blitzball trophies just have Wakka shut up about calling him a "sentimental guy". 

   "But some of the songs here aren't that soft!" Wakka continued. "There's _Go Dream _and _A Ray of Hope_! But you should check out _And on We Go_! It's my recent favorite song! It's got a nice beat to it, ya?"

   Wakka excitedly unwrapped the CD, took out his portable player from his oversized side-pocket on his cargo pants and inserted the CD in. He plugged in the earphones and put one in his left ear. He handed the other earphone to his best friend, which he slotted in his right. Wakka then switched the player on and skipped to _And On We Go._

   Wakka was right. _And On We Go was a good song. Wakka always sang the lyrics as they walked. After listening to it for what seemed the seventh time, Tidus finally got the hang of the lyrics and sang along with Wakka. They took turns in singing the lines and there were times when they sang together. From what they were doing, Tidus and Wakka looked as though they were having the time of their lives._

   Tidus and Wakka arrived at the fountain after listening to _And On We Go _for a dozen times in a row. Wakka finally switched his player off for the loud volume almost made their ears deaf and because they were out of batteries already. They sat by the fountain's edges and took their break.

   "Hey Tidus!" Wakka called him.

   "Yeah?"

   "I...I-I've got a favor to ask. Man-to-man, alright?" Wakka told him calmly although Tidus could sense that he wasn't feeling alright.

   Tidus hesitated for a while but since he was one of his best friends, he agreed and would help him out in every way he can.

   "Okay then. Shoot!"

   "You see..." Wakka gulped before talking. "There's this shop here which sells apparels and other get-ups for women."

   "And...what seems to be the problem."

   "I...I can't go inside!"

   "Why not?"

   Wakka kept quiet for a while as if he lost his tongue until finally, he answered "Lots of girls, man! I can't go in there! I'm a guy!"

   Tidus quickly got to his feet and gaped at Wakka. "Why would you want to step inside an all-girls shop anyway!?"

   "Listen." Wakka kept his voice low that Tidus had to lean closer to hear what he has to say. "Just between you and me, brudda. You have to promise me not to tell anyone."

   "Not even---Rikku?"

   "Especially that stubborn brat! She'll probably run around the school telling everyone!"

   "How 'bout Lulu? She's the quiet type." Tidus suggested.

   "Not even her! It's gonna be a living nightmare for me once she finds out!"

   Tidus' eyes widened and a mischievous grin was forming on his face. Wakka was finally admitting his secret.

   "So..." Tidus naughtily began. "...are you trying to tell me that you've got something on Lulu? You know, a cru---"

   "YEAH!!! Now that you got the picture, keep quiet about it!" Wakka told him, half-shouting and half-whispering. 

   Although they were somewhat just fooling around, Tidus knew this was no joking matter. A promise made by men is much more confidential and much more critical than a promise made by women.

   "You can count on me, Wakka."

   Tidus now stood up. They held each other's hand in front of their faces as they made the pledge. It's what men do when a promise is made between them.

   "But what does it have to do with that dress shop?" Tidus curiously asked, bringing the topic back.

   "I was gonna buy Lu a new sweater." Wakka told him. "And I need you to come with me. I don't wanna be the only guy in a horde of women."

   "And...why a sweater? You can just buy her chocolates or a doll."

   Wakka looked at the floor. "Lu doesn't want chocolates. She told me at Leviathan's fountain that she was on a diet. She also told me that she wanted a new sweater, though. I don't know why she would want a sweater. She already looks cute in that gray poncho of hers..."

   Tidus stared at Wakka for a heartbeat. "Cute, huh?" Tidus thought that it was pretty unusual for Wakka to say the word "cute". It was even unbelievable now that it's Lulu he was talking about. But despite all that, Wakka is still his friend and he would never let him down.

   "Alright, Wakka. I'll go with you to that dress shop. You can even give these to her along with the sweater." He put his hand in his pockets on his shaded white cargo pants and took out a handful of Moogle Drops and handed them to Wakka.

   "But Lu's on a diet! She wouldn't want those chocolates!"

   Tidus still insisted and shoved the whole handful on his hands. "Trust me on this one. Lulu will like them just the same." He said after giving Wakka a hard and friendly pat on the back. Wakka grinned back at his best friend and pocketed the Moogle Drops.

   They gave each other their secret handshake and made their way to buy Lulu's sweater. Perhaps Tidus is bound to buy something for Yuna too. 

   "Well, only time will tell..."

**Author's notes: **About the songs mentioned in the story, you can listen to them on the other albums! Other than the _Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack, there are two others: __feel/Go dream and __Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection. To those of you who have the CD, then no explanations are necessary. But to those who haven't heard some of the songs then let Arcanum herself give you a brief explanation about each and every one of the tracks available!_

Feel:** A song sung by Yuna (Mayuko Aoki). It can be found in _feel/Go dream. _It sounds very much like _The Hymn of the Fayth_. The original version is alright but can get pretty boring but the remix version is way more colorful and way more fun to listen to! The remix version can be found in the album _Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection._**

Go Dream:** This song is by Tidus (Masakazu Morita) this time! The tune is great and jumpy! It's really fun to listen to but Tidus' voice isn't that impressive here. Maybe he's just inexperienced. This song is listed on _feel/Go dream._**

Endless Love Endless Road:** A duet by Tidus and Yuna! This one is really sweet to the core! You'll love the part at the end where their voices blend well! This song is in _feel/Go dream._******

Otsuki-sama:** Just a song sung by Rikki! To those who don't know who Rikki is, she's a famous Okinawan singer! Otsuki-sama is pretty hard to translate but its melody can make you sad. It can be found in _feel/Go dream._**

Pure Heart:** Another song sang by Rikki. It's sort of a vocalized version of Aeris' theme from Final Fantasy VII. At first, I never really cared about since it represents one of my least favorite characters but when I found out that it was performed by Rikki, I changed my view on it and eventually, it became a habit for me to play it. This song is in _feel/Go dream._**

After Tears (Naru no atoni):Another song by Yuna! This is much gentler than Feel! I ran out of things to say about this. This time, it can be found in _Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection._

A Ray of Hope:** Whoop-dee-doo! A song by Tidus! His voice has greatly improved in this song. His voice in Go Dream was uh...unpolished. It really hurts when I say something negative about my huffleduffin! Back to the topic! This song is made up of techno-beats! It's really fun! Check it out! Oh yeah! This song is recorded on _Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection._**

And On We Go:** A duet by Tidus and Wakka! Another fun song to listen to! Wakka sounds like a big guy here but it's nice! One of my favorites! It's in _Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection. _(I wrote the part where Tidus and Wakka were singing while listening to this song! Ain't that cool!?**

Get Happy!:Yahoo! Rikku's song! Probably the jumpiest and the most fun song in the album! Just wait til you listen to it! It's gonna make you smile coz it's sooooo funny! This song is pretty much like her! I LOVE THIS!!! It's in _Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection!_

All The Way:** A song by Yuna, Lulu and Rikku! This is also a fun one but Get Happy! is waaay better! Lulu's voice might need a little improvement. Rikku is probably the best vocalist out there! She sound mature and kiddy at the same time in this song! By the way, this song is in _Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection._**

Suteki Dane:** Now who could I ever leave this out!? This song revolves around Final Fantasy X! It's the pure essence that pivots around the love of Tidus and Yuna! Rikki is such an excellent vocalist! If only this song had an English version.**

**Additional notes: **Watch out for my new AU medieval fic! It's still under construction but fear not, for Arcanum is already working on it! It's gonna be fun since it takes place in the medieval times! Once it's available for reading, check it out when you can!

**Just for fun: **Did you spot out the two guest stars from Final Fantasy VII? If you did then congratulations! How about if I sneak in a few more characters from other Final Fantasies? Won't that be fun?


	6. Mayhem in the Mall

**Chapter Six:** _Mayhem in the Mall_

   "But what color would Lu like? There might be more than a hundred colors available."

   Wakka asked as he was strolling with Tidus through the neon-lighted shops of Spiralicore. The two boys were on their way to that dress shop Wakka was talking about to buy Lulu a new sweater. And maybe to buy Yuna a new scarf as well.

   "Why are you asking me?" Tidus replied. "I'm no fashion expert."

   "Me neither." Wakka answered back. "Amazing how women can pick through different colors and designs."

   "That's because they ARE women! And one of the things that I don't understand about women is that they can shop all day as if they're celebrating Christmas! I mean, what's so special about shopping anyway?"

   Tidus stated out. For the first time in his teens, he realized his curiosity of the opposite sex now that he's asking questions. He never dared to ask Auron about women either. He would never cross the line of asking Rikku too for she'll probably just make fun of him for the rest of the week.

   "That's what you're clueless about? Well you should know this!"

   Wakka then cleared his throat.

   "Why is it that women eat first then starve second?" Wakka questioned as he scratched the back of his head. "I kinda noticed that when Rikku got an overdose of those chocolate muffins. Now she hardly ever eats! Can't they just eat in a steady course? If us men can do it then women will have no problem doing so!"

   Tidus just grinned at Wakka for his naiveté. Lulu is on a diet but she never ever starved herself. Yuna never complained about her weight or her waistline. Rikku is...an exception maybe...

   "That's what I hate about women." Wakka continued. "You can't understand them..."

   "You'll just have to deal with it." Tidus answered him skeptically. "That's the problem about being a guy: The inability to understand women while women can understand us men."

   They both stopped at their tracks...how did this issue about women come up anyway? 

   "Maybe we'll find out later." Tidus brought himself and Wakka back to reality.

   Wakka raised his arm and gave Tidus a hard pat on the back which made him cough out some air.

   "Hey! What was that for!?" Tidus shouted while trying to reach out for the area where Wakka hit him.

   "That was to lighten you up." Wakka answered with a smirk. "You're worrying too much about women, brudda."

   "But you're the one who brought the topic about women up!" Tidus yelled back as he massaged the area where Wakka thumped him. He felt as though it was gonna leave a mark.

   "Anyway, let's go buy Lu's sweater now." Wakka said as he pulled his best friend into a headlock. "We'll worry about the color later."

   "H-Hey! Lemme go!"

   Tidus choked and hardly breathed in air under Wakka's strong grip around his neck. He grasped Wakka's arm struggling for air as Wakka dragged him all the way to the other end of the mall. He hauled Tidus as to not release him. He needed some company now that he was headed for a place crowded with...._women_....

   "Wakka....let go....you're....choking me..."

   "Whoa!"

   Wakka immediately let go of him after seeing his face now purple. Tidus took hold of his neck and gulped in huge amounts of air. He was breathing faster than he usually would after a Blitzball tournament, as if he was just granted the gift of breathing.

   "Wakka....I'll get you for this...."

   "Sorry, brudda." Wakka explained rather guiltily. "It's just that I'm scared....

   "Scared!!!?" Tidus cried out. "Scared of what!!!?"

   "....scared that you'll chicken out. We're going to an all-girls shop. I was worried about you since you got a curiosity for women. You might feel a little uneasy so I had to drag you. And besides, I don't want you chickening out, ya?"

   They both ventured deeper into the mall as to seek that all-girls dress shop. Wakka was so nervous about all this that he hardly said a word, only one-liners. Tidus was okay about this but the fact Wakka wasn't was somehow disturbing him. Speaking of Tidus' curiosity for women, Tidus convinced himself that it was Wakka who should be signing up for _Women Psychology Class in Zanarkand High. Even his way of speaking was slightly distorted. He now started saying words like "cute" and "romantic"._

   "Are we almost there?" Tidus asked, looking at his watch.

   Wakka eye's suddenly widened and his face turned red. "Y-Yeah. But I'm kinda hoping we won't have to get there soon enough."

   "So are you trying to tell me that you're giving up already? C'mon Wakka! I know you're stronger than that!"

   He gave Wakka an even stronger pat on the back that he was pushed slightly forward. Tidus did this partly because he couldn't accept to see his best friend back out and partly because he wanted to pay him back for the hard hit earlier.

   He held Wakka firmly on his shoulders and looked at him as if his own blue eyes could put some spirit into Wakka's ego.

   "Wakka. Listen to me." He took a deep breath first. "_In Blitzball, once you have the ball, **you gotta score**_**! To put it short, once you have the chance then you gotta go for it! Now's the perfect opportunity for you to impress Lulu with a sweater or even a Moogle stuffed toy!" Tidus then hardened his hold on Wakka and shook him lightly. "There's absolutely no way you're backing out in this one. If ever you get in trouble then just remember. _I'm your best friend and I'm right behind you."_**

   Tidus then let go of Wakka and put an encouraging hand on the shoulder. All the nervousness and uneasiness were wiped away from Wakka's face and were replaced by confidence and strength of mind.

   "Yeah, you're right." Wakka now replied confidently. "You know, you should be sub-captain! It takes real talent to bring out a pep-talk like that! How 'bout it, ya? You up for the position?"

   "Let's just talk about later after we buy the sweater, okay?"

   They both did their secret handshake ending with their two fists locked together, eventually leading into a hand wrestling match. Wakka had a hard time trying to press down Tidus' arm but still, he managed to win. Tidus was aggravated by his loss that he pummeled Wakka on his upper arm and rushed forward, trying to provoke him into chasing him.

   "Come and get me!"

   Tidus darted through Spiralicore's wide lobby while taunting Wakka into chasing him! "You can't catch me you rotten son of a Shoopuf!"

   "Oh yeah!?"

   Wakka boosted his running speed and eventually grabbed Tidus by his neck, putting him in choke slam. "Now I got you!" He then locked his arm tighter around his neck, putting him into the tightest headlock yet. Wakka always treats Tidus in a big brother kind of way that putting him in headlock has become a habit.

   "Who's the Shoopuf now!?"

   Tidus let out tight grunts as Wakka grasped his neck tighter. 

   "Wakka.... Let...go....of me...!"

   "Say you're a Shoopuf!" Wakka was somehow enjoying torturing Tidus this way. He just wouldn't let him go even if Tidus was now helpless under his grip. Surprisingly, Tidus still wouldn't give up. "Say you're Shoopuf or I'm gonna have to drag you all the way to that all-girls dress shop."

   "Umph! You don't....need to, Wakka..." Tidus barely breathed out.   

   "And why not!?" Wakka demanded.

   "Coz....coz we're already here..."

   Instinctively, Wakka loosened his hold around his best friend's neck. He just realized that they were now standing before their dreaded destination---an all-girls dress shop. On top of the entrance was a logo in bright red that read _Spherical Designers_. Tidus and Wakka both gulped down a mouthful of air and acted as if their bodies were paralyzed.

   "You---You go first!" Wakka nervously said as he crept closer towards Tidus.

   "N-No way! This was your idea in the first place! Besides, I'm not the one who wants to impress Lulu, you are!!"

   Wakka did not move an inch on the spot and just stared expressionlessly at the logo. Sweat was sliding down his face as women come and go around Spherical Designers_. _He wished that they hadn't chased each other to this part of the mall earlier.

"Together! Let's go together" Wakka said irritably.

   "Okay, I'm right behind you." Tidus answered as he slowly pushed Wakka past the entrance of Spherical Designers_._

   The two boys swallowed their restlessness and began to brace themselves to step inside Spherical Designers_, the last place every guy would go to..._

   It was a place absolutely not suitable for men. The walls and the ceilings were painted in either pink or lavender. The place smelled of sweet roses and the song _Pure Heart_ can be heard throughout the shop through the installed sound system. Lines and lines clothes made of wool and cotton were displayed upon the shelves. But the most disturbing of them all is...

   "...Women..." Wakka frightfully blurted out "...lots of women!"

   "C'mon, Wakka! Put yourself together, man! The sooner we can get Lulu's sweater, then the sooner we can get outta here!" Tidus scolded his best friend and tried every possible way to sound serious even though his face was now slightly in red hues.

   They both crept their way deeper inside Spherical Designersavoiding all the women's eyes. They cautiously checked all the signs trying to look for the sweater section. Tidus blushed as he accidentally laid eyes on the _Lingerie department._

   "You better watch yourself around here, brudda." Wakka whispered to him. "These women have the tendency to mistake us for perverts, ya?"

   Tidus' face turned redder and quickly turned his head away from _that _section. He did not want to be labeled as a pervert or a Peeping Tom for he never was in his childhood.

   "Wakka, I got a bad feeling about this. What's worse, these bad feelings of mine tend to come true...."

   Eventually, they reached the sweater section of the shop unexposed and this brought enormous relief to their insides. At least they weren't accused of scoping women out.

   "Now that we're here, the next thing to do is to pick out the perfect sweater!" Wakka's restlessness was instantly replaced by pure excitement as he happily began to search through the sweaters in multiple colors hanging neatly along the rack. He looked like an excited kid looking for a new toy as he rummaged around sweater after sweater.

   "You should check this out!" Tidus eagerly ran to the other end of the rack and took a dark purple sweater with a Moogle's head knitted at the center. The word "kupo!" was seen right beside the Moogle's head. "Lulu likes Moogles, remember?"

   "Nah, that's too kiddy! Lu's way too serious for that! How 'bout this one instead?" He took out another one which turned out to be pure black in color.

   Tidus returned the Moogle sweater then gave Wakka a look of rejection. "Reality check man, but Lulu isn't that gothic! You should look for something that suits her personality!"

   _But what will portray Yuna's personality? All the sweaters in gentle colors would go perfectly along with her..... After all, he did promise himself that he'll get Yuna something....something she'll probably like. _

Wakka was too busy deciding over the dozen sweaters that Tidus concluded that he was hopeless all along. But he wasn't really sure if he would be as hopeless as Wakka over some sweater.

   Choosing the perfect seemed harder and more time-consuming than being able to execute a Sphere Shot faultlessly. Tidus and Wakka spent the next half hour rummaging and arguing over the sweaters. 

   "How 'bout this one?" Wakka asked, holding a rainbow-colored one.

   "Too colorful." Tidus replied, clueless.

   "This one?"

   "Nah."

   "This one then!"

   "It's gonna look too tight on Lulu."

   "How 'bout this?"

   "That's too dull! Nothing but gray!"

   "And this one?"

   "That's too soft." 

   "Then which one!!!?" Wakka's voice almost sounded like he would go crazy any minute. "We've picked almost every sweater in this shop already!!! Tell me, Tidus! Why is it that of all these confounded sweaters, not one of them fits Lu's taste!!!"

   Tidus looked around _Spherical Designers one more time and thought that it would be better if they just buy something else other than a sweater. He searched all sections except for _that _section but with no luck, a sweater is their only salvation of getting out of this women-populated place._

   "You know what?" Tidus said. "Why don't you just settle with that purple one with the Moogle on it?"

   "But---But Lu might reject it!" Wakka was unpredictably taking all this too seriously. The only other matter where he was serious about all things was Blitzball.

   "Then just tell her that she needs a new style! Besides, I'm sure Lulu has her soft and vulnerable side as well!" Tidus convinced his best friend and once again took out the dark purple sweater with the Moogle and "kupo!" knitted on it. 

   Wakka eyed the sweater with much ignorance and examined it for a moment. "Are you sure about this, brudda?"

   "Trust me on this one! They'll even go along flawlessly with the _Moogle Drops _I gave you earlier. You know, those bite-sized chocolates shaped like Moogles. Lulu won't say no! I promise!"

   Wakka smiled at his optimistic best friend and put an arm around his shoulders. He was so thankful that he ever met Tidus to become midfielder and Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes. He was even more surprised that he can motivate the team to play at their peak performances. Wakka so thrilled about this that he felt as though he and the Abes have already won the Cup against the almighty Luca Goers.

   "Alright, I'm paying for it!" He said as he snatched the purple sweater with both hands and brought it to the counter. Tidus closely followed him since he was more concerned about Wakka's awkwardness towards women. The only problem was...

   "Uh, Tidus?" Wakka called out for his best friend.

   "Yeah?"

   "The line....is made up of women."

   Tidus stared at the line of girls all patiently waiting for their merchandise to be registered. There were five girls ahead of Wakka meaning that Wakka would have to come in sixth for his turn. In fact, Wakka stood out pretty well now that he's the only guy in the line.

   _This is it.... Now's my chance to distract Wakka while I go find something nice for Yuna....like a keychain or a hairpin of some sort!_

   Tidus once again took hold of Wakka's shoulders and attempted to put some courage into Wakka's spirit. "Wakka, listen carefully. All you have to do is blend in and it'll be all over before you know it. Trust me."

   Afterward, Tidus left Wakka helpless by the counter and began to look around in the other sections of Spherical Designers_._

"Hey! Don't leave me here!" Wakka begged.

   "I'll be back in a heartbeat!" Tidus replied rather hurriedly.

   Before Wakka could shout "Don't leave me here!" for the second time, Tidus tried to get out of Wakka's sight and headed for the accessories section. Checking that he was as far from the counter as possible, he took a deep breath and began surfing through all the charms behind the glass cases.

   He was about to examine a hairpin shaped like a Chocobo when---

   "Hey!"

   ---someone seized him by his shoulder and turned him around to face his aggressor.

   It was Wakka.

   "I thought there were still a couple of girls ahead of you!" Tidus gaped at his best friend, surprised. "How did you finish so soon!?"

   "If you didn't leave me looking like a Shoopuf in that counter then I wouldn't have to push my way through! I even got shoved off by some annoying brat with brown hair! I think her friend called her Tilmitt or something...?"

   "So where's the sweater?" Tidus asked, bringing the topic back.

   "It's right here, all paid for!" Wakka answered, holding a small lavender bag with the logo of _Spherical Designers printed across in bright red. "Now let's get outta here before more girls think of us suspicious!"_

   Wakka now took hold of Tidus' arm and tried to direct him out of the shop. To his surprise, Tidus refused and tried to shake Wakka's hand of his. "Just a few more seconds, Wakka. I still wanna look around for a bit."

   "But---" Wakka frantically reacted. "We've been here for more than hour now! Let's just get outta here already."

   Tidus still refused, yet he wouldn't tell Wakka the reason why.... 

   The two began to argue, their clashing voices growing louder and louder each second. They were starting to make a scene, making a number of disgruntled women look at them.

   "Just....let me stay here for a while!"

   "What!? Don't tell me your curiosity for women got the better of you!"

   "That's NOT the point!"

   "Then what is the point!?"

   "I..." Tidus sighed but still continued. "I can't tell you...."

   "Well, whether you're telling me or not, I'm gonna get us out of here even if I have to drag you all the way to the fountain!"

   Wakka then flung his arms and locked them around Tidus'.

   "H-Hey! Let go!"

   They both struggled....Wakka tried to heave Tidus away from the spot but Tidus also fought not to be forced out. After some more effort, Wakka managed to pull Tidus some distance away from the Accessories section. He continued dragging Tidus until they were both wrestling by the fitting rooms.

   The dragging and resisting continued....until coincidentally, Wakka tripped by a leg of one of the stands.

   Wakka lost his balance and crashed, sending himself and Tidus slamming the door to the nearest fitting room open....

   "Whoa!"

   They both landed on their chests.... They raised their heads....only to see something that undoubtedly threw them into a state of shock.... They both wished they didn't get into this argument in the first place.

   Standing before them was Tilmitt, the girl Wakka was talking about earlier. She was halfway through removing a yellow tank top she took for fitting. Tidus and Wakka tried not to look....they could already see the cups of Tilmitt's woman thing....

   "EEEEEEEEEK!!!!! PERVERTS!!!!!"

   Tidus and Wakka both got to their feet without delay, their faces bright red in color. Now all the women inside Spherical Designers turned their heads to the two boys' guilty faces.

   "Arrest those two perverts! They tried to scope me out!" Tilmitt began screaming wildly.

   All the women, their sweet faces now wearing looks as if they were ready to kill, were now arming themselves with perfume bottles to throw as tear gas and handbags for the use of slapping their heads off.

   "W-Wait!" Tidus spoke, his face still red. "I-I can explain! It-It was an accident! We didn't really mean to---"

   "GET THOSE PERVERTS!!!"

   In just a matter of milliseconds, all the women rushed forward and attacked both Tidus and Wakka with their handbags. The two boys had to cover their heads as they crouched lower. Some of the girls even tried to spray perfume into their eyes but luckily, they both evaded each spray but that didn't prevent them from being surrounded.

   The chaos grew bigger and bigger. Their only way of escaping was to crouch down and crawl their way out of the carnage. They managed despite constant hits of handbags on their heads and quietly and hurriedly ran outside Spherical Designers.

   The two ran for it farther down the hallways thinking that they escaped uninjured....

   "We gotta hide somewhere!" Tidus panted as they were halfway out Spherical Designers. "Those girls are sure to kill us!"

   "The men's bathroom!" Wakka's face lit up! "That's sure to be an anti-girl territory!"

   "Good idea!"

   They both ran to the opposite end of Spiralicore to escape to the men's bathroom, occasionally looking back in case Tilmitt rallied some of the girls to hunt them down.

   Eventually, they reached the men's bathroom unspotted and looked at the mirror....

   They were a complete mess. Tidus' hair was all ruffled up as if his dad patted him vigorously. Wakka's standing hairdo had some strands sticking out. They were both traumatized from shock and relief at the same time and their faces were still beet red..

   Strangely, there was an unusual smell filling the men's bathroom.

   "Man, I smell funny. Must be from the perfume those women tried to spray on us, ya?" Wakka said. He was still uncontrollably shaking with what he saw earlier in the fitting room....

   "Well this is your entire fault!" Tidus screamed. "If you hadn't tried to drag me out of there then none of this wouldn't have happened!"

   "Hey, man! Take it easy! I'm sure it wasn't really that bad!" Wakka tried to assure him.

   "Not really that bad!? We went through hell just going inside Spherical Designers, spent more than half an hour picking through the sweaters, having to wait for five women in the line, tripped into an occupied fitting room and almost seeing a half-naked girl, and now we barely just got away from a horde of violent women!!! What's not really that bad about all those!!!?"

   Tidus breathed deeply after he spoke. When is there bad luck going to end?

   Wakka remained silent....he tried to look away from Tidus and just stared at his reflection on the mirror....

   ...only to find out that something on his face wasn't right...

  "B-B-Bro!" Wakka was panicking as he tried to get Tidus' attention.

  "What!? Are you gonna try to get me into scoping out women again----W-W-WAKKA!!! Y-YOUR NOSE IS BLEEDING!!!"

   Tidus was seriously shocked the moment he laid eyes on Wakka's nose. Blood was dripping out of it.

   "Just tilt your head up and keep it like that!!! I'll---I'll get something to stick in your nose!" Tidus tensely tipped Wakka's head upwards and went inside the nearest stall to get a roll of tissue paper. "Here!"

   Tidus ripped off a piece, rolled it and stuck them into Wakka's bleeding nose. "That should stop the bleeding!"

   "Whoa!" Wakka said as he touched his nose. "That was the worst nosebleed I've had in years!"

   "So what caused it anyway?" Tidus asked, sounding relieved.

   "I dunno, maybe that time when we saw that Tilmitt girl in her uh....you-know-what!" Wakka then blushed and replaced one of the tissue papers stuck on his nose. He blushed even more deeply.... He couldn't look at his best friend in the eye....

   "Boy, Wakka!" Tidus said as he put an arm around Wakka's shoulders. "You really should stay away from women. It's for your own good, you know?"

   After waiting for Wakka's nose to stop bleeding, the two made their way out of the men's bathroom and went back to the fountain standing at the center of Spiralicore.

   "So, where do you wanna go next?" Wakka asked.

   "I haven't thought about it yet...." Tidus quietly replied. 

   _That's because I still haven't thought of what to get Yuna yet......we've been here in Spiralicore the whole morning now and I still can't make up my mind...._

"You said something?" Wakka abruptly asked.

   "N-Nothing!"

They reached the fountain which was now populated with people. Tidus wished he was back in Zanarkand High, at Leviathan's fountain with the water sprouting from its fins and mouth. He wished that he was just back there talking to Yuna as he looked at the small colorful fountain more.

   "Why don't we sit down?" Wakka suggested. "We do need a break, ya?"

   They both sat down on one of benches facing the fountain and just relaxed. Spending more than an hour choosing the perfect sweater was as tiring as a two-hour Blitzball practice.

   Surprisingly, Tidus hardly said a word....he just watched the water flow throughout the vibrant fountain.

   For countless times, thinking has been like a running flash of colorful lights. It would just come in like a burst of sunshine. The rising waters from the fountain seemed like they were ascending into the Sun. For understandable reasons, he kind of likes the Sun since it's the counter meaning of his name. He remembered that it was his mom who named him _"Tidus" after the Sun_ because of his bright and sunny personality....

   ...No wonder Yuna once thought that Tidus was so warm and gentle...._just like the Sun...._

"Hey, you seem quiet, ya?" Wakka said abruptly

   "Yeah....maybe I am just like the Sun..."

   "Uh, you said something?"

   Tidus instantly got to his feet. "N-Nothing! I was just....I was....."

   He groaned.

   "Just forget about it!"

   "Thinking again?"

   Tidus' eyes widened then looked at the floor. "Well, I uh...guess I was." He answered rather naively.

   "You know what brudda? I think you got this bad habit of thinking."

   Tidus' face turned red and looked at Wakka in disbelief. "How....How did you know!?"

   "Lu told it to me some time ago. She's been saying that Yuna's always talking to her about your bad case of being in deep thought." Wakka explained. "Amazing how that girl can talk about such things. She must've gotten those traits from her cousin Rikku."

   Tidus just couldn't believe what Wakka said. "Yu....Yuna was....she was talking about me...?"

   "Heck yeah, Yuna's always talking about you. Lu even said that every time the topic's changed to you, Yuna would go happy and then just say things like how you're just like the sun with your bright and sunny personality. Funny how she compares you to the sun of all things."

   Hearing those words made him smile, probably the same smile he once had when reminisced about his mother....and that made him glad about everything else, and it casted a bright sunny hue on everything he laid eyes on. 

   "Hey Wakka, I'm going to _The Chocobo Forest. You wanna come?"_

   It was now Wakka's turn to be shocked. "_The __Chocobo__Forest__? But....but that place gives me the chills! Even more than Spherical Designers can! I mean, why would you want to go there anyway? Let's just check out the other stores, like Melodies of Life!"_

   But after minutes of convincing and arguments, Tidus managed to persuade Wakka into visiting _The Chocobo Forest._

   "Hey! This place isn't so bad after all!" Wakka grinned and looked around the stuffed Chocobos and Moogles displayed upon the shelves. "Whoa! Check this out!" He scampered towards an area where there was nothing displayed on it but...

   "...Shoopufs?" Tidus eyed Wakka curiously. "But I thought you don't wanna go this place! Now you're literally acting like a kid who just found a new toy." He remarked as Wakka examined each and every one of the stuffed Shoopufs sitting behind a glass case.

   Wakka didn't seem to listen to his best friend's comments and continued staring at the Shoopuf keychains with much interest. 

   "Wow! These Shoopufs are cool! I like Shoopufs!"

   Tidus let out a disappointed sigh. Wakka was now in his world of Shoopufs. He just left Wakka playing with the biggest stuffed Shoopuf and went to the Chocobo section, where Chocobos of all shapes, sizes and colors were sitting on one shelf. There was this Fat Chocobo and a number of other smaller ones in different colors.

   "But not even one of them looks like Choco...._Yuna seemed to like Choco that night....when she cuddled him, so how about if I give her something that looks like him?_

He began to look at the soft feathery Chocobo keychains in a wide variety of colors but the common yellow has become his most favored one now that it's Choco's color, but....he wasn't sure whether Yuna would like a keychain or not.

   The small Chocobo plush dolls seemed like a better choice. Tidus took one and examined. It does look a lot like Choco, only smaller. Tidus just noticed that the Chocobo plush doll's belly seemed kind of....lumpy.

   "Maybe it'll squeak or say "Kweh" if I squeeze it."

   Tidus pressed the plushie's stomach and just as he guessed, it gave off a small squeaky sound that said "Kweh!" He squeezed it again and another high-pitched "Kweh!" came out of it. Tidus grinned at this new toy and eventually played with it just as a kid would play with a squeaking plushie...

   "Kweh Kweh Kweh Kweh Kweh!"

   "Kupo!"

   "Huh!?" Tidus looked around trying to see where the sound came from.

   Wakka came running excitedly towards Tidus holding a small Moogle plush doll in his hand. "Hey man, take a good look at this one!"

   He squeezed the Moogle's stomach and just like the Chocobo plush, it made a mild "Kupo!".

   "Kupo Kupo Kupo!" 

   "But I thought you wanted a Shoopuf." Tidus said after they finished fooling around with their new toys.

   "I was, but these Moogles kinda caught my attention. Besides, they are kinda..._cute..._especially when if I see Lu cuddle them at least_."_

Tidus sighed then looked at his best friend with sort of an impassive face. "There you go again..."

   Strangely enough, the two boys enjoyed having fun with the plush dolls. Before they brought them to the counter to be paid for, Wakka took one last trip to the Shoopuf section of _The Chocobo Forest and took a Shoopuf stuffed doll about the size of Choco._

   They were now lining up with their new toys in hand...

   _"...And I thought little boys never play with dolls!"_

Tidus and Wakka both jumped and wheeled around. Rikku, along with Yuna and Lulu were standing by the entrance of _The Chocobo Forest. Rikku was wearing a naughty grin on her face as she watched Tidus and Wakka hide their stuffed toys from view._

   "What was that you're buying?" Lulu asked Wakka curiously.

   Wakka gulped in a mouthful of air before answering. "It's uh....I, well....it's somewhat like uh..."

   "A plush Moog---"

   "Shut up!!!" Wakka grabbed Rikku by her mouth just in time right before she mentioned the words "a plush Moogle doll!"  

   Lulu eyed the two of them with more suspicion. "A what!? A Moog? What are you trying to say?"

   Tidus immediately stepped forward and tried to make up an excuse---

      "Kupo Kupo Kupo!" 

   ---Rikku somehow managed to free herself from Wakka's grip around her mouth and seized the Moogle plush. Yuna and Rikku both broke into giggles while Lulu in some way gave off a sweet smile. Tidus and Wakka both blushed and looked away from the three girls, especially to Lulu in Wakka's case.

   "Wow! This plushie is so adorable!" Rikku purred as she held the small Moogle and caressed it against her face. Luckily, the Chocobo plush was unspotted and Tidus was able to hide it in his pocket on time.

   "This Shoopuf is pretty funny." Lulu said as she took it in her arms. "Is this yours Wakka?"

   The girls went on hugging and giggling over the dolls until Tidus noticed that Yuna was just smiling at her two friends. He thought that this might not be the right time to approach her yet...

   All five of them walked together across the hallways of Spiralicore. Tidus still won't let Yuna know about the stuffed Chocobo plush doll. Even more surprising, he still won't talk to her yet.... Wakka and Lulu were already enjoying a private conversation while Rikku skipped ahead as usual.

   "Yuna seems quiet today." Tidus said to himself. "If I try to talk to her now, Rikku might probably make up ideas. Wakka still doesn't know anything about how I think of Yuna and I don't want him to know anything...."

   "Tidus...?"

   He suddenly turned to his side to see Yuna walking beside him.

   "Yeah...?"

   "Um, I just wanted to thank you....again...."

   "Thank me?" Tidus asked, puzzled. "For what?"

   They both stopped....hardly aware that Rikku and the others were already leaving them behind.

   "For saving me....from those steel pipes that day... I mean, I wasn't able to thank you properly after you risked your life. I just fell asleep then I just woke up in your home. After that, you walked me home even if you had to be late for Math the next day.... Rikku told me everything."

   Tidus' face softened as Yuna looked at his blue eyes with tenderness. Just as he did that night after their unforgettable moment in the Sphere Pool, he tenderly placed his hand on her shoulder, and just as Yuna did that night, she wrapped her hand around his, closed her eyes and felt it against her face.

   Yuna held his hand closer and tighter, not wanting to let go....

   "You two!" Someone called from behind them.

   It was Auron holding a recently bought sake jug.

   "If you want to hold hands, do it somewhere else, not where we can clearly see you do it."

   Tidus and Yuna were both stunned, still holding each other's hand. They only became aware a second later that Wakka, Lulu and Rikku were watching them all along. They both blushed so deeply that they let go of each other's hand right away, unable to look at each other in the eye.

   Everyone reacted to this bizarrely. Wakka grinned at Tidus, Lulu just gave Yuna a serious yet playful smile, Auron just let out an intended "Hmph!" and Rikku was once again parading around Tidus and Yuna singing "Get Happy!".

   "Let's move on, before these two start taking advantage of their time _alone...."_ Lulu said, that cunning smile still on her face. Tidus and Yuna still avoided each other's eyes and pretended that nothing happened.

**Author's notes: **As all of you have noticed, I wrote this chapter mainly to portray the friendship between Tidus and Wakka, which not many authors usually do. I just noticed that Wakka tends to put Tidus in headlock almost always in the game, and that they like goofing around a lot!  You see, I want this story to be as reminiscent to FFX as possible

**To my dear reviewers,** I've been wondering lately. The reviews are getting shorter and shorter! I mean, I don't mind short reviews but at least speak up! Be creative! Sora loves long reviews! Don't you know how much your sweet reviews mean to me? Make them more special by making them longer! My chapters are long so why not send in a long review too? You know, to make it a done deal! But at the bottom line, you don't have to if you don't want to but give it a try at the very least!

**To the Male reviewers, **I've got a note for you guys in my bio. My bio's pretty long so just skip ahead to the bottom! You'll find my note there! It's just that Sora here needs some answers about uh, questions!


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